Post-riot crime continues in Cincinnati; city officials beef up police presence

By TERRY KINNEY The Associated Press 8/1/01 7:10 PM

CINCINNATI (AP) -- The City Council voted Wednesday to put more police on the streets to stop a sharp increase in violent crime since the April riots that followed the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man.

Since the riots, 89 people have been shot, the latest a 22-year-old Atlanta man killed in Tuesday in an apparent carjacking.

"We have a real crisis in the city," said Councilman Pat DeWine, who proposed giving police an extra $250,000 to increase patrols. "We need to act swiftly and decisively."

The council voted 8-1 to provide the extra money to cover more than 900 overtime shifts and pay for a 70-member Violent Crimes Task Force created last week when Cincinnati had seven homicides.

In its first week, the task force made nearly 140 arrests, including nine people on the city's most wanted list.

"I think it's been terrific," said Mayor Charlie Luken. "For one thing, it's been a return to proactive policing in Cincinnati."

Since the three nights of rioting in April, crime has surged and arrests dropped as police acknowledged holding back for fear of being accused of racism.

"I think the police taught us a lesson," said Kelvin Brown, 43, who lives in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood where Timothy Thomas, 19, was fatally shot while fleeing police. "First, we complained about the way we were treated, now we're looking to the police for help."

The police force is under federal investigation and facing a lawsuit accusing the department of harassing blacks. The officer who shot Thomas is awaiting trial on charges of negligent homicide and obstructing official business.

Prosecutor Mike Allen, a member of a mayor's committee dealing with solutions to the violence, said he is encouraged by the response to the task force.

"The police are being very aggressive, and it would seem that they're getting community support," Allen said. "When you talk about 80-something shootings in a relatively short period of time, I think it is a crisis."

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001