Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black is asking Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell for a 90-day action plan to reduce violence in the city. Black wants the proposal by Friday.
It comes as Cincinnati police investigated the city’s 30th homicide of the year Monday in Bond Hill. A Council committee heard a report last week that non-fatal shootings have increased significantly this year especially in the last six weeks.
“I’ve asked the chief to go back to the department, we’ve got a lot of smart people in the department in every corner,” Black said. “Pull your people together and think through the issues from a root cause analysis standpoint and let me know what the strategy is going to be.”
Black again told Council in a memo that maintaining public safety is a top priority of his administration.
“I’ve not reached a point of being panicked,” Black said. “I’m concerned, and therefore I believe we are taking the necessary steps to sort of try to drill down to the root causes of better understanding what may or may not be going on.”
Black described the shootings and homicides “in most cases appear to be targeted acts of violence.”
The city manager said the deadline is flexible. He said if Chief Blackwell needs more time to put together a more thorough plan, he will grant that request.