Saturday, September 18, 1999
Major crimes reduced
City trend continues this year
BY MARIE McCAIN and PERRY BROTHERS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Murder, rape, robbery and other major crimes have dropped 8.4 percent since last year, Cincinnati police said Friday.
From January through August, 15,935 major crimes were reported compared to 17,405 during the same period last year. Cincinnati police major crime statistics show marked decreases in 34 of Cincinnati's 53 neighborhoods.
Murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault fell 2.4 percent. Burglary, larceny and auto theft fell 9.3 percent.
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NEIGHBORHOODS
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Dramatic decreases were recorded in:
• O'Bryonville — down 57.4 percent from 61 to 26.
• Paddock Hills — down 32.6 percent from 95 to 64.
• Pendleton — down 25.6 percent from 168 to 125.
• Clifton/University Heights — down 24.4 percent from 279 to 211.
• Hyde Park — down 23.4 percent from 269 to 206.
• Sayler Park — down 21.9 percent from 73 to 57.
Increases were recorded in:
• English Woods — up 50.9 percent from 108 to 163.
• South Cumminsville — up 43.5 percent from 46 to 66.
• Riverside — up 27.3 percent up from 44 to 56.
• Hartwell — up 25 percent from 128 to 160.
• Mount Airy — up 24.8 percent from 246 to 307.
• Mount Adams — up 23.3 percent from 73 to 90.
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Crime has been dropping in Cincinnati since 1991 and across the country since 1996. Cincinnati residents and policing experts credit tougher crime laws, a strong economy and community oriented policing for the drop.
“The police have been doing a real good job,” said Steve Offenbeck, a Clifton/University Heights property investor who has been buying and renovating properties in the neighborhood for 15 years.
Mr. Offenbeck said community-oriented policing and a higher police presence on foot and horseback spurred the 24.4 percent drop in major crimes in Clifton/University Heights during the past year.
In turn, some police officers on the beat point to effective policing and strong civilian involvement as reasons for the decreases.
“I imagine the community has a lot to do with it themselves,” said Sgt. Timothy R. Weber, of Cincinnati's District 1. “We're as about as effective as the help and calls we get from them. We need the help
of the community to do our jobs.”
Experts such as Douglas A. Berman, an assistant professor at Ohio State University who specializes in sentencing of criminals, attribute the decline to tougher penalties that have kept criminals off the streets longer.
“We've taken a much more punitive and penal approach to crime and punishment,” he said. “(The decline) is a necessary consequence of locking up more people.”
A strong national economy might also play a significant part in the decrease in crime.
“When the economy goes sour, crime rates increase across the board,” Mr. Berman said. “It may sound trite, but people are in better moods when everything looks sunnier.”
However, the reports from some neighborhoods weren't so sunny. In Mount Airy, where crime increased by about 24 percent, community groups blame transient residents of large apartment complexes.
“District 5 is working on it,” said Bob Steelman, Mount Airy Town Council president. “The (complex) management companies are working on it. They're putting special effort into it. They restructured their leases. They've thrown people out and tightened security.
“I still think Mount Airy is one of the safest places to live. It's so isolated — 98 percent of the crime is on three streets,” he said.
Other neighborhoods reporting increases in crime include English Woods, South Cumminsville, Riverside, Hartwell, Mount Adams and Winton Hills.
Among neighborhoods showing sharp decreases: O'Bryonville, Paddock Hills, Pendleton, Clifton/University Heights, Hyde Park, Sayler Park and Over-the-Rhine.
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