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After months-long delay, city agreement for UC Police off-campus activity is now in effect

UC Police are allowed to patrol in a specific off-campus area (outlined in black) where there's a high concentration of student housing.
UC Police
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UC Police are allowed to patrol in a specific off-campus area (outlined in black) where there's a high concentration of student housing.

An agreement that allows the University of Cincinnati Police to patrol in neighborhoods near campus is now in effect after being put on hold in December. The memorandum of understanding codifies what UCPD has been doing since 2015.

When officials announced the updated agreement last year, some residents criticized the process for not including any community input. City consultant Iris Roley says she's satisfied with the communication with UCPD over the last few months.

"Reaching back, inclusion — and not at the end but when it's actually happening — that is where you get community input [and] buy in," Roley said. "And these weren't easy questions. This subject is still very raw in the Black community and it comes with very heavy scrutiny."

It's the first official update to the memorandum of understanding since 2009, but UC Police Chief Eliot Isaac (who served as Cincinnati Police Chief until March) says it matches what campus police have been doing for about six years.

"It is more restrictive than what has historically been in place," Isaac said. "And [I] certainly understand that, particularly as it relates to traffic stops and things of those natures."

The new MOU continues a ban on off-campus traffic and pedestrian stops. That has been in effect since 2015, when then-officer Ray Tensing killed motorist Sam DuBose during a traffic stop. (All off-campus activity was suspended for about a month).

The agreement allows officers to do "visibility patrols" in a specific area surrounding campus where there's a high concentration of student housing.

Officers can only take action if they see certain crimes or in an emergency:

  • If a UCPD officer views a felony offense, or otherwise has reasonable suspicion to believe that a felony has occurred or is about to occur
  • If a UCPD officer views a misdemeanor offense of violence and/or theft offense or otherwise has reasonable suspicion to believe a misdemeanor of violence and/or theft offense has occurred or is about to occur

For example, UCPD officers could intervene if they see a reckless driver, drunk driver, or hit-and-run; campus police does not do traffic enforcement like speeding.
The MOU says UC officers must immediately notify CPD of any action they initiate off-campus, except during an emergency "in which there is no practical time for a request in advance to be made."

Campus police recently received an international award for excellence in problem-oriented policing for a burglary reduction effort.

See the full MOU below:

Local Government Reporter with a particular focus on Cincinnati; experienced journalist in public radio and television throughout the Midwest. Enthusiastic about: civic engagement, public libraries, and urban planning.