The latest 48-hour crime sweep by Cincinnati Police produced 116 arrests and welcome new evidence that the arrest slowdown is over.

Police have developed a promising new strategy that first maps out drug dealing hotspots, identifies offenders, then mobilizes a combined force to make round-the-clock arrests. The two-day "strike force" also included FBI and Secret Service agents, state liquor control officers and state parole officers. Residents in Avondale and other neighborhoods already report improvement at some sites. The new strategy is hailed as a CPD "culture change." Patrol officers and detective types are collaborating more. Officers are partnering with residents to identify drug dealers. It's heartening to see more than just reactive policing. CPD should keep up the all-out offensive against street crime and achieve residents' number one goal: safe streets.

"We will be back," said Police Capt. Vince Demasi, who headed the strike force. Even without that pledge, the good news is the police are back. Arrests since 2000 had dropped 30 percent, but in January, after a similar sweep, arrests were up and crime down.

The new strategy grew out of "community problem-oriented policing" adopted last year in collaborative settlements of the racial profiling lawsuit and Justice Department investigation. One target neighborhood in Thursday and Friday's sweeps was Northside, where early Sunday a robbery suspect who grabbed an officer's nightstick and beat him on the head was shot to death by the officer. That case also showed another welcome culture change. Partners in the collaborative agreement were briefed on the shooting Sunday morning. The interim head of the Citizen Complaint Authority toured the scene. City officials held a press conference shortly after noon. Police officials visited the suspect's family and Mayor Charlie Luken called. He backed Officer Michael Schulte's action as a reasonable use of force. Human Relations Commission monitors walked Northside streets to explain what happened and quell rumors. City Manager Valerie Lemmie credited the swift response to the city's new commitment to "transparency."

New openness, partnering, strategic crackdown - Cincinnati is getting its act together.