CINCINNATI — Cincinnati police are one step away from getting money designated to solving violent crimes.
A $96,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety would be used for the existing Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) as well as Place-Based Investigations of Violent Offender Territories, or PIVOT zones, throughout the city.
Council members who discussed applying for the grant said they feel the money will help officers get more time and more resources to solve the city's violent crimes. Money will pay for four hours of overtime per week, per position for one year for six police officers and a supervisor sergeant.
"Although it doesn't sound like a lot, when you're laser-focused on a specific task, and you've been granted an amount of time to do that, then, therefore, you're able to reach the goal that you've been laser-focused on," said council member Scotty Johnson.
Johnson said city council needs to work on providing resources and money while the police force continues to deal with staffing issues.
"Until we get the proper staffing with the Cincinnati police, I am one of those advocates that says, 'I know there's not a countless amount of money, but we got to make sure Cincinnati remains one of the safest major cities in this country and we got to make sure that we're providing all the resources necessary for law enforcement,'" Johnson said.
Councilwoman Meeka Owens said the work of the CGIC helps take guns off the streets, helping the goal of addressing violent crime.
"The city doesn't have to put anything into this, so working with ATF as our partner is pretty groundbreaking, and so we want to continue that," Owens said.
There's been more focus on the city's PIVOT unit after 11-year-old Domonic Davis was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in the West End on Nov. 3.
The city has also been talking about the need to combat youth violence after two attacks, involving teenagers, were caught on camera downtown. Police arrested two teenagers accused of taking part in both attacks.
"There's so much going on, but we have to be there for them, and let them know that we are there, and we care about what's going on with you when you leave the school," said Rufus Johnson, community advocate.
"What we do for our students, we go out, or I go out to each location, in every high crime area to teach gun safety and make sure our kids are aware of everything that's going on, so when they leave school, they're equipped with knowledge and education to address what they have to deal with in the community," Johnson said.
Last Thursday, he was joined by Omar Marshall, a school resource officer at Dohn High School.
"If it's a transportation issue, we try to fix that, if it's an issue where they're hanging out somewhere, that's where I come into play and I would get this to the patrols," Marshall said. "I just give them a look like let's move on, let's stay out of trouble, do exactly what I ask, so the relationship is the big component in getting things done and keeping the students safe."
Council members, prosecutors, public defenders and community advocates who have spoken to WCPO in the past two weeks all agree that stopping violent crime is a complex problem and there's not a simple solution. Nearly two years ago, the city declared gun violence to be a public health crisis.
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Police Chief Teresa Theetge is expected to give an update on violent crime involving teenagers at the city's public safety and governance committee meeting. It starts at 9:30 a.m.
