Hamilton County could lose nearly $2 million this year because Cincinnati police are writing fewer tickets.

        The loss is a significant bite out of one piece of the county's general-fund budget: the $7.36 million in fees that usually comes from municipal, criminal and traffic citations. Tom Gould, administrator for the county clerk of courts, predicted in May the fund would lose $1.5 million if the pace continued. Now the predicted loss is $1.9 million because of $100,000 more in losses in each of the last four months.

        The $1.9 million is about how much it would cost to give every county employee a 2 percent raise.

        Earlier numbers indicated a smaller financial impact. But because of the lag time between the beginning and end of a court case, these figures reflect a more complete picture of police activity since the April protests and riots, he said.

        Another example of the financial impact: Using the $34 average parking-ticket price, the city will see an estimated $446,000 loss this year if payments on parking-meter violations continue at their current pace.

        Police deny any organized slowdown or job action. But officers have admitted they were hesitant to do their jobs because of the criminal prosecution of Officer Steve Roach, the anti-police sentiment sparked by the April riots and the ongoing federal investigations of the department.

        “It's amazing how dependent we are on the criminals and the people who get in trouble,” Mr. Gould said. “We're strictly dependent upon the level of activity by police.”

        The $2 million amount may seem relatively small, given that the county's general fund budget stands at about $259 million. But it's important money, Mr. Gould said, because it's tax-free and discretionary. That means it can be spent on non-mandated things like new cruisers for the 51 bailiffs or the pending renovation of the courthouse.

        County Administrator Dave Krings said the loss of revenue adds to the millions in revenue the county is expecting to lose next year because of cuts in state funding.

        “The decline in revenue from the courts is part of an overall decline,” he said, “so it's certainly something we're concerned about.”

        Some officials see signs that the trend is turning.

        “I think it's starting to pick up again,” public defender Lou Strigari said.

        He cited average daily totals of jailed offenders now regularly up to 75 or 80 more — and as many as 120 or more on Mondays. The daily number was as low as 60 immediately after the May 7 indictment of Officer Roach for the shooting of Timothy Thomas, an unarmed 19-year-old who was fleeing police.

        The police division's Violent Crimes Task Force alone made more than 560 arrests in the last month. It started July 25 in response to the persistent shootings and other violence taking place in Over-the-Rhine and other neighborhoods.

        Chief Tom Streicher said he hoped the task force would be a rallying point for all officers, and he thinks it has.

        “They're making a lot of arrests,” he said. “You're seeing a difference.”

        Some of the results from those arrests are not yet reflected in Mr. Gould's latest numbers. Despite the financial impact, he's not unsympathetic to the police officers.

        “It's not good in terms of county management, but if you ask me, "Do you understand why it's happening?' I do,” he said. “It's far-reaching in a lot of ways.”

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