A private New York foundation has agreed to provide initial funding for one of the key programs in the collaborative settlement of the racial profiling class-action lawsuit against Cincinnati police.

        The Andrus Family Fund, which promotes community reconciliation, will allocate $75,000 for the Community Partnering Program, which will train the community to work with police in solving problems and in studying police practices and goals. The Greater Cincinnati Foundation will provide a matching $75,000 grant.

        “This program is very important,” said the Rev. Damon Lynch III, president of the Black United Front. “It allows police and the community to partner in community problem-solving. It helps community residents identify the underlying issues of which crime may be a symptom.”

        The racial-profiling lawsuit was filed last year by the Black United Front and the American Civil Liberties Union. The collaborative settlement, which included an agreement between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice, still must be approved by a federal judge. .

        The Black United Front and the ACLU, responsible for arranging the funding of the Community Partnering Program, applied for a grant from the Andrus Family Fund, part of the Surdna Foundation, one of the largest family foundations in the country.

        “This is really a big deal,” said Al Gerhardstein, an attorney for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “The most important thing we have to do under the agreement is to make sure the community understands the shift in policing we expect. That takes training.”

        Steve Kelban, executive director of the Andrus Family Fund, said Cincinnati has the opportunity to be a national trendsetter in resolving problems between the community and police.

Police graduation a day of celebration, lessons
Inspectors wait to visit Woodbridge
Volunteers harder to find as spirit of Sept. 11 fades
Obituary: John Gimpel, artistic director for Gibson
Settlement plan gets $75,000
Three injured as van, train collide
Tristate A.M. Report
Faith matters
MCNUTT: Neighborhoods
RADEL: Strangers
SAMPLES-GUTIERREZ: Phone adventures
Clermont coroner resigns
Harrison principal named best in Ohio
Jury acquits Bristol's dancer
Patient abuse case back to trial Monday
Police seize $170,000 of cocaine
Ruling on officer next week
Warren County GOP still snubbing Taft
Agency wants public smoking ban
Family killings shake Fort Bragg
Man gets 23 years in fatal kidnap
Murder suspects could go free
Officials promise united economic growth campaign
Bellevue's popularity creates parking problem
Fifth-Third president donates for friend
Gun shop owner will fire on in court
Kentucky News Briefs
Pension boost overturned
Shooter sought after front porch robbery attempt
Two Ky.-Ind. bridges proposed