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Cincinnati Police Chief Holds Community Forums On Violent Crime Thursday And Friday

Jay Hanselman
/
WVXU

Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, along with his district commanders and assistant chiefs, will hold a series of community meetings Thursday and Friday with community members aimed at stemming a rising tide of gun violence in the city.

A press release from the Cincinnati Police Department said the sessions “will allow community members, faith leaders and neighborhood residents to provide input and solutions to address the recent up-ticks in shootings.”

The meetings come after a group of pastors, community activists and elected officials on Wednesday proposed a long-term plan targeting crime in Cincinnati neighborhoods that they said would take $50 million to fully implement.

Blackwell will hold his first meeting Thursday afternoon in the chief’s conference room at police headquarters at 310 Ezzard Charles Drive. According to the release, the police commanders will hear from “community faith leaders” and members of the Cincinnati Police Department’s “God Squad,’’ a group of volunteer clergy who help police officers keep the peace in Cincinnati neighborhoods.

A second meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the New Prospect Baptist Church, 1589 Summit Rd., Roselawn.

The third session will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at the Urban League headquarters, 3458 Reading Rd., Avondale.

The public is invited to all three meetings.

The information gathered in the sessions will be included in a 90-day “summer safety initiative” being prepared by Blackwell.

Howard Wilkinson is in his 50th year of covering politics on the local, state and national levels.