By Susan Vela
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The burglars who ransacked Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher's Price Hill apartment Friday ignored signs they were violating the home of the man who leads more than 1,000 officers daily.

Streicher

Pressed shirts, shined shoes and a framed picture of the uniformed chief on the wall were clear signals that the burglars should run, said Lt. Kurt Byrd, the police department spokesman.

Instead, the burglars threw open drawers and stole more than $1,000 in cash from the two-apartment house where the chief, his daughter, and another tenant live, Lt. Byrd said.

"It takes a pretty nervy person to go into that type of residence," Lt. Byrd said. "These weren't everyday citizens. Who knows what chances they were willing to take? If people have enough nerve to break into the chief's house ... "

Investigators suspect that more than one person broke into the house and ransacked both apartments between 11:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Katie Streicher, 25, had arrived at her and her father's first-floor apartment to get ready for work when she noticed a car backing down the driveway and speeding away. She followed the vehicle and provided police with a description - a 1991 to 1993 navy blue Buick Century with tinted windows.

"If I was going to rob somebody, it wouldn't be him," said Pat Eby, who lives a block away. "It's just unreal that these things can happen in this neighborhood."

Residents wonder whether the burglary was random, noting there is little crime in the area.

"That's the talk of the neighborhood," said resident Thomas Schweer. "My guess is it was random. Our immediate neighborhood is fine and secure."

E-mail svela@enquirer.com