By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

WESTWOOD - A candidates forum here turned into a spirited debate on police-community relations Tuesday night.

The city, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Cincinnati Black United Front signed the Collaborative Agreement in April 2002. Since then, the police union and the African-American activists have left the agreement, leaving hard feelings on the part of many people who initially supported it.

Asked by Westwood resident John Eby whether all parties had lived up to their promise to work together to reduce crime, Republican John Connelly gave an emphatic no. "Now that we have it, it's been breached. I'd throw it out the window."

Tom Jones, also a GOP-endorsed candidate, asked what problem the agreement was designed to solve.

He said City Council, which approved it 9-0, was pressured by "ruthless, loud, intimidating voices."

But Charter Committee candidate Nick Spencer defended the "historic" agreement, saying that police-community relations in Westwood are much better than in other parts of the city.

Spencer's answer was so unpopular that Westwood Concern co-founder Mary Kuhl told him to sit down.

"You use the word 'historic.' Historic for whom? The police?" Kuhl shouted. "At the end of the day, the police ended up being the bad guys."

David Crowley, the only incumbent councilman present, noted that even U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft has called the agreement a "model." Ashcroft restated his support as recently as Monday, when he came to Cincinnati on a national tour promoting the Patriot Act.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com