The Cincinnati Police Department has re-established walking patrols downtown and in Over-the-Rhine in an effort to improve police-community relations and heighten visibility on the street.

        Police Chief Tom Streicher and Mayor Charlie Luken helped unveil the initiative Monday at a press conference on Vine Street, where two-officer teams have begun patrolling from 10 a.m to dusk, Monday through Saturday.

        The foot patrols will be conducted by officers already assigned to the high-crime area, and will be expanded to include the Main Street business district and Findlay Market area by April 1, Chief Streicher said.

        Last April, Over-the-Rhine was at the center of conflicts between police and the neighborhood's mostly black residents after the shooting death of a black teen by a white police officer during a chase in the neighborhood.

        Police deployed foot patrols in the neighborhood during the rioting and civil unrest that followed the shooting, but they were there mainly to keep the peace.

        The latest patrols are on a mission to improve rapport between police and community residents.

        The patrols eventually will be beefed up to include more regular-duty officers and may be extended into the evening in the spring and summer.

        Overtime would be covered by federal block grant funds, Chief Streicher said.

        Regular foot patrols in Over-the-Rhine haven't been seen “in quite some time,” according to Capt. Greg Snider.

        Neighborhood cops — district-based teams that work primarily with community and business groups — have occasionally patroled the neighborhood on foot, Capt. Snider said.

        But not on a regular, ongoing basis.

        Avondale resident Addie Carter, whose mother lives in Over-the-Rhine, said the foot patrols are long overdue.

        “Most of the people doing wrong out here know that as long as they don't do anything to attract attention, the police won't get out of their cars,” she said. “If they see somebody looking over their shoulder, maybe they'll take their business somewhere else.”

        Mr. Luken described the foot patrols as a step in the right direction, capitalizing on the foundation of traditional community policing.

        “This is about trying to solve problems in this neighborhood,” he said. “It marks an important step forward in safety.”

        The Health, Fire and Public Services departments, among others, will join the foot patrols in daylong “sweeps” aimed at community rehabilitation through such methods as removing litter and debris, and towing abandoned and junk vehicles.

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