By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Valerie A. Lemmie, city manager, and Tom Streicher, police chief, discuss a new panhandling plan during the Law and Public Safety meeting Tuesday. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

Sandy Robb of Fort Mitchell vowed never to come back downtown after she and her college-aged daughter were approached by beggars three times in one shopping trip.

Angel Ferry of Loveland says she feels safer in New York City than downtown Cincinnati.

City officials are trying to win them back with a crackdown on panhandling. Tuesday, they announced a plan to include:

• Increased enforcement.

• Public awareness.

• Registration of panhandlers.

• Stiffer penalties.

• Addressing underlying causes of panhandling.

Councilman Pat DeWine, the Law and Public Safety Committee chairman who drafted a get-tough ban on "aggressive" panhandling in March, said it became clear that legislation alone won't curb street begging.

To that end, Downtown Cincinnati Inc., which promotes downtown, will pay overtime for four additional officers downtown for the remainder of the holidays.

David Ginsburg, DCI's interim president, said the uniformed officers - working eight-hour shifts from the late afternoon and evening, seven days a week - will patrol between Main and Elm and between Fourth and Seventh streets.

DCI will also put posters in downtown businesses warning people of the "detrimental effects" of giving to panhandlers.

The low-budget public awareness campaign would have a simple message: Don't give to panhandlers.

"If you don't respond positively to solicitation, and give people a reason to do it, we believe that behavior will cease," said City Manager Valerie Lemmie.

Police Chief Tom Streicher put it more plainly. "It's very simple. Say no. Don't give them the money, and they'll go away," he said.

But Chief Streicher acknowledged that many women - especially elderly women - can be intimidated by the physical presence of a panhandler, and feel compelled to give money even without an explicit threat.

Those victimized by aggressive panhandlers often don't report it. If they do, identifying the suspect and testifying is a bigger ordeal than most people are willing to tolerate.

And even then, the justice system often views panhandling as a minor offense. Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Heather Stein Russell, for one, often fines panhandlers $0 plus costs.

She declined to comment on the reasons behind her sentencing. Officials want to impress on her and her colleagues the importance of the issue and urge stiffer penalties.

The city will also will try some novel approaches to discouraging and controlling street beggars.

One proposal, modeled after a law in Dayton, would require all panhandlers to register with the city. Those who violate the rules would have their licenses revoked.

The licensing program, they said, would have a several benefits. The city would be able to identify people in need of social services.

Some might not want to get a license, for whatever reason, and would be discouraged from panhandling for fear of getting caught.

Somewhat trickier are plans to deal with the underlying issues that promote panhandling. Mr. DeWine believes the sale of 40-ounce containers of beer or wine encourage alcoholics to beg for their next drink, and he wants stores to voluntarily remove them from shelves.

Georgine Getty, director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, told City Council Tuesday that its enforcement approach was shortsighted.

"I feel you are misrepresenting the citizens of Cincinnati when you present panhandling as something you want punished," she said.

"The people of Cincinnati want real solutions that make the need to panhandle disappear. We need to explore the myriad and difficult reasons why people panhandle."

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com