Officer Daryl Grant was a little skeptical about his new assignment as he began walking Over-the-Rhine on a warm, springlike day last week.

        Asked if the Cincinnati Police Department's recent return to foot patrols in a neighborhood plagued by gangs, drugs and weapons will make a difference, he responded, “We'll have to see.”

Cincinnati Police Officers Daryl Grant (right) and Harry Fry walk along Vine Street heading south as part of a plan to bring back foot patrols in Over-the-Rhine. (Michael E. Keating photos) | ZOOM |

        Over the next five hours, residents and business owners waved at him and his partner, Officer Harry Fry, from open windows. Others greeted them with hearty handshakes and comments such as, “Glad to see you out here.”

        “(A foot patrol) just creates an atmosphere where it seems the police are saying they really are trying to communicate,” said Ed Williams, an Avondale resident who regularly visits friends in Over-the-Rhine.

        Mr. Williams, 68, offered a quick “Hello,” as he passed Officers Grant and Fry in Washington Park on this sunny Thursday. As he turned back to watch them head down a side street, Mr. Williams said, “It's about time.”

        The troubled historic neighborhood was the epicenter of April's riots, and of the months of shootings and drug-related violence that followed.

        The Cincinnati department is among a number of police agencies throughout the nation that have returned to the traditional foot patrol, which took a back seat to motorized patrols decades ago.

        Cincinnati's effort comes as the department negotiates an end to the Justice Department's investigation launched after the riots. And it comes as a boycott of the city draws national attention.

Officer Daryl Grant talks with Bruce Phillips on the beat. | ZOOM |

        The community policing effort began March 1 in downtown and Over-the-Rhine, with foot patrols by two-officer teams from 10 a.m. to dusk, Monday through Saturday.

        On Thursday, crowds of young men gathered at hot spots known for drug dealing quickly dispersed at the sight of the officers.

        Drunks and panhandlers and other loud and disorderly people generally cleared the way.

        It may be too early to tell how effective the foot patrols will be.

        After his hours on the streets of Over-the-Rhine, Officer Grant, a nine-year veteran, said he thinks it's an initiative well worth the effort, giving him the chance to interact with residents, shopkeepers and visitors more often.

        “People don't understand that we can get pretty busy and don't always have time to say, "Hi,'” said Officer Grant, a nine-year veteran whose most recent assignment was patrolling Over-the-Rhine from a patrol car.

        “This shows we're not ignoring them, we're just trying to do our job.”
       

Criticism over timing

        While few debate the benefits of uniformed officers on the streets, some community leaders question the timing of the patrols, which have been re-established just before the one-year anniversary of the April riots.

        Over-the-Rhine was the epicenter of the violent protests and racial tensions that erupted following the shooting death April 7 of a fleeing, unarmed black man, Timothy Thomas, by a former Cincinnati Police Officer, Stephen Roach, who is white.

        “It seems like they're gearing up for possible reprisal or something to be happening in Over-the-Rhine” on the anniversary of the riots, said the Rev. Stephen Scott, vice chairman of the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati.

        The group has successfully lobbied several big-name entertainers, including Bill Cosby and Wynton Marsalis, to boycott the city until its demands for changes are met.

        Those demands include that the Cincinnati Police Department adopt a community policing model, including foot patrols in Over-the-Rhine and other low-income neighborhoods.

        Consistent walking patrols are a part of community-oriented policing initiatives. Other community policing techniques include officers patrolling on horseback and bikes, visiting schools and having designated neighborhood officers — all of which Cincinnati already does.

        Each of Cincinnati's 52 neighborhoods has its own neighborhood officer, who spends hours each week on the street there, attends community council meetings and acts a liaison between the community and other police.

        In its January response to the Justice Department, Cincinnati police agreed with recommendations about more interaction between neighborhood officers and their communities. They pledged to post notices of more regular community meetings on the CPD website and fax them to community newspapers.

        Mayor Charlie Luken helped unveil the new foot patrol initiative at a press conference Monday. He said the foot patrols will be monitored and may be expanded.

        He said the patrols are aimed at building positive rapport with community residents and are “about trying to solve problems in this neighborhood.”

        The Rev. Mr. Scott described the Police Department's latest deployment of foot patrols as mere “window dressing” that falls woefully short of addressing longstanding problems in poor neighborhoods.

        “The foot patrols are only in Over-the-Rhine and a few places downtown ... Over-the-Rhine isn't the only place where there are problems,” he said.

        Most experts agree that officers walking the beat make people feel safer, but it's still questionable whether foot patrols can actually reduce the crime rate.

        In what is widely regarded as the most thorough study of foot patrols, the Police Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization, studied those types of patrols in Newark, N.J., from February 1978 through January 1979.

        The study found that walking patrols had virtually no effect on crime, while residents consistently said they thought crime had diminished.

        No one is saying that major problems downtown and in Over-the-Rhine will disappear because of the walking patrols.

        But it's clear that the patrols can at least reduce the fear of crime, and possibly improve relations between residents and police officers.

        Becca McGraw, co-owner of Karma nightclub, which opened in November on Jackson Street in Over-the-Rhine, said she was relieved at the sight of the foot patrols.

        The club regularly uses police details for security to help ensure the safety of patrons.

        But presence of walking patrols throughout the day present an image of a relatively safe neighborhood and might bring back visitors, or paying customers, who have been afraid to venture into the area since the riots, she said.

        “This is just what we need to let our customers know they are safe,” Ms. McGraw said.

       Enquirer reporter Jane Prendergast contributed.
       
       

Area families of victims savor moments
Gun at the bus stop: Dad on trial
Police back to walking Over-the-Rhine streets
Racetrack fans favor electronic gambling
Tristate blown away by cold front
Churches focus on AIDS among African-Americans
Donation to GOP challenged
Minority labor shortage likely
Sinn Fein president visits N. Ky. cathedral
Tristate A.M. Report
BRONSON: Three myths
CROWLEY: Kentucky Politics
HOWARD: Some Good News
PULFER: Victim's mom:
SMITH AMOS: Racial gaps
FBI looking for heist clues
Evolution foes target Ohio
Battle site targeted for preservation
Kenton sends tax refunds, slowly
UK honors Loretta Lynn