A small portion of The Banks in downtown Cincinnati will be off-limits to anyone under age 21 starting Friday, April 25.
The policy aims to make the area safer and more controlled during high-traffic hours. Private security will enforce the restricted area; visitors will have to show photo ID to enter the area during the restricted timeframe.
It only applies to the public plaza located between Great American Ball Park and Walnut Street, and only between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Tracey Schwegmann with The Banks says the effort is 100% privately funded.
"It is funded by the private property owners, the retail businesses, the apartments, all the private property owners in between the two stadiums," Schwegmann said. "It’ll probably cost us about a quarter-million dollars to do this for about six months."
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge says she fully supports the idea.
"By limiting the people under 21 going in this restricted area, that will allow us to hopefully use our resources more on the perimeter and concentrate on other areas like Smale Park and the things outside of the restricted area," Theetge said.
Theetge says crime in Cincinnati, including Downtown, has been declining over the past few years.
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