Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval has announced expanded police presence on Fountain Square and his intention to introduce legislation to create an earlier curfew for unsupervised minors in the Fountain Square area.
Pureval and Police Chief Teresa Theetge held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to address several recent shootings, including one Monday evening on Fountain Square in which two people were shot, including one juvenile.
"Despite all the changes that we have made up to date [and] the investments we have made, our communities are still experiencing an unacceptable level of violence, and it has to stop," Pureval said. "Now is the time for significant change."
Police 'show of force' Downtown
Pureval announced that CPD's Civil Disturbance Response Team (CDRT) and SWAT team will be on Fountain Square from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day, starting Tuesday.
"We will be showing our Cincinnati residents a show of force on Government Square and Fountain Square with CDRT and SWAT, our most highly trained officers," he said.
Police Chief Teresa Theetge says police officer visibility used to be a good crime deterrent, but that's no longer true. Four uniformed officers were on Fountain Square Monday evening when that shooting took place.
Theetge says the public can expect police intervention even on low-level crimes.
"Expect, if you're doing something that you've never been approached about before, we're going to start reminding you your actions are illegal," she said. "For example, if you are smoking marijuana on Fountain Square, expect to be approached by an officer."
Theetge specifically addressed CPD officers: "We have asked a lot from you in the last eight months or so, and you have stepped up ... we need to do more. This is about keeping law and order in our city."
Government Square
Pureval says he has told Metro leadership he wants to see "de-concentrating routes and getting more control over foot traffic in the Government Square area."
Asked about the connection between bus transportation and the Monday evening shooting, Pureval said "it's not entirely clear," and that CPD is still investigating.
"But we know from the data and from police officers' experience on Fountain Square and Government Square, that that area is a hot spot area, and that shouldn't be new to folks," he said. "Government Square is the hub that is bringing a lot of the criminal element, in a concentrated way, into these specific civic areas."
Metro has considered moving the Government Square transit hub to another location, like the Riverfront Transit Center. A feasibility study determined that move would significantly increase travel times and operating costs.
Pureval says Metro needs to consider all possible options: "As I stand here, I don't know what the solution actually is, but we have to change the status quo, and rerouting busses absolutely has to be part of that conversation."
Metro did not respond to a request for comment, but released a statement Tuesday afternoon from Blake Ethridge, chair of the Metro Board of Trustees.
Ethridge said there are no simple solutions and that Metro will continue partnering with the city. "Metro continues to invest heavily in safety — spending more than $1 million annually for CPD presence at transit centers and on buses; implementing the newly approved city ordinance to prevent loitering at transit centers; reducing student transfers at Government Square; and funding 311 Ambassadors who support riders daily at our transit centers."
A Metro spokesperson also confirmed that routes 21 and 78 recently were relocated away from Walnut St. near 5th St. "at the request of the city."
Cam Hardy, president of the Better Bus Coalition, released a statement urging officials not to make decisions about Government Square "behind closed doors."
"We strongly oppose moving Government Square," Hardy wrote, citing the feasibility study earlier this year. "We are counting on our leaders to present reasonable solutions that don't hurt bus riders. Any long term discussions regarding moving Government Square must include all stakeholders, especially the riders."
Pureval says changes are necessary "not to punish our public transit system, but to strengthen it," saying most bus riders just want to get wherever they're going without having to worry about violent crime.
Loitering at transit centers
Earlier this month, City Council approved an anti-loitering ordinance for some transit centers. Specifically, it allows the Department of Transportation and Engineering to declare a “Transit Center Zone” where loitering is prohibited. A spokesperson for the City Manager's Office told WVXU the intention is to declare a Transit Center Zone for the Government Square and Riverfront transit centers Downtown, as well as the Oakley Transit Center.
At time of passage, City Manager Sheryl Long told City Council that enforcement plans were still under discussion. She said the goal was to use community responders to ask loiterers to move away, with police intervention and citations as a last resort.
The City Manager's Office did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation about whether those "Transit Center Zones" have been declared and whether enforcement of the ordinance has begun.
Curfew
Pureval says he will introduce legislation to create a 6 p.m. curfew for unsupervised minors in the Fountain Square District. Pureval said he would like a vote on the ordinance "immediately."
"That has the benefit of addressing when these crimes are happening, particularly the crimes that are involving children," Pureval said. "And also it's well timed, given daylight savings and the fact that it's going to start getting dark at around 6 p.m. in the near future."
The Fountain District is roughly 12 city blocks, including the area between Elm Street, 7th Street, Main Street, and Fourth Street.
City Council voted in August to approve a citywide 11 p.m. curfew for unsupervised minors, as well as a special extended curfew district Downtown and in parts of Over-the-Rhine, which starts at 9 p.m.
Enforcement began in mid-August. Over the past two months, the city has operated a curfew center at Seven Hills in the West End. WVXU has requested data on the number of youth that have been taken to the curfew center.
Council member Scotty Johnson, chair of the Public Safety and Governance Committee and a former CPD officer, spoke to WVXU Tuesday morning, before the afternoon press conference.
When asked if an earlier curfew is a good idea, Johnson replied: "I don't know. I mean, what are going to go to? Five, six o'clock? I don't know. That's something we need to take a look at, earlier curfews. But ... we can put all the laws on the books in the world, but parents and people play a role in helping keeping Cincinnati safe."
Council member Mark Jeffreys, a member of the Public Safety and Governance Committee, told WVXU Tuesday morning the first step would be to look at the recently approved curfew rules and see how effective they have been.
"The second [step] is really understanding what is the problem that we're trying to solve?" Jeffreys said. "Frankly, I don't know if it's an issue of time of day ... and I think that's the biggest challenge here, is that it's happening not at two in the morning, it's happening in the daylight. And so I think we have to make sure that the problem that we're solving has the best solution attached to it, and I'm not sure if shortening the curfew addresses that. But [it's] certainly something that we need to look at."
Latest crime numbers
CPD reports crime data weekly, both citywide and for each neighborhood.
The latest STARS report with citywide data is not yet available online. The most recent report includes data through Sept. 27.
Shooting incidents citywide so far this year:
- Down 19.6% compared to 2024 year to date
- Down 26.7% compared to the three-year average year to date
Violent crime citywide so far this year:
- Down 2.3% compared to 2024 year to date
- Down 5.9% compared to three-year average year to date
In the Central Business District, however, those metrics have increased.
Shooting incidents in the CBD so far this year:
- Up 33% compared to 2024 year to date (an increase of three incidents)
- Up 24.1% compared to the three-year average year to date (an increase of 2.3 incidents)
Violent crime in the CBD so far this year:
- Up 12.7% compared to 2024 year to date (an increase of nine incidents)
- Up 29.7% compared to three-year average year to date (an increase of 183 incidents)
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