The decision to hire 75 additional Cincinnati police officers will likely be left to a newly elected mayor and City Council.

        Instead of voting on a $4.2 million plan today, five council members, including the mayor, say discussion should wait until next year's budget talks begin.

        And those talks won't start until after the election in November, after the city elects its first strong mayor and at least two new council members.

        But that didn't stop council from debating the 2-month-old proposal for two hours at Tuesday's Finance Committee meeting. Among issues raised by council: Who most supports police? Is council is ducking a decision? Why is hiring new police officers being raised before the city election?

        The fact that a majority of council has already agreed to put off hiring the officers also didn't stop the committee from passing a competing motion that will likely die today for lack of support.

        And it didn't stop Councilman John Cranley, who authored the original motion, from introducing his third plan in less than a month for hiring the new officers.

        “Politics is the art of compromise,” Mr. Cranley said. “We have a responsibility to get this done.”

        His initial motion suggested cutting several city departments to pay for the additional police.

        But to get other council members to back his plan, Mr. Cranley last month agreed to add the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission to the list of cuts. Now, Mr. Cranley said the cuts should not include the commission.

        Councilman Phil Heimlich, however, pushed for adding the police and cutting the commission.

        Councilwoman Minette Cooper, who wants to wait for budget talks, questioned why the city manager, the police chief and the public safety director had remained silent on the proposal.

        Councilwoman Alicia Reece spoke for 20 minutes about her concerns that the police division already gets 34 percent of the city's budget. She said before the city spends another $4 million on police the council has a responsibility to address issues with other city departments and unions.

        “This is a sad and embarrassing day for this council,” said Councilman Pat DeWine, who supported cutting the commission and described the delay as cowardly. “We are afraid to face voters.”

More - and better - police in Luken's anti-crime plan
       

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