CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge dropped in unannounced on a Cincinnati Public School Board meeting Monday night to ask the district to provide more help for officers trying to cut down on crimes involving youth.
Since the start of the school year, 30 juveniles have been arrested in 10 different high-profile, violent crimes. According to Theetge, 20 of those 30 juveniles were CPS students.
Most of those kids are Cincinnati Public School students, Theetge said.
"I am a product of Cincinnati Public Schools. We didn't behave like this. And if we did, we were held accountable," she said. "These students should not be allowed to behave like this."
During the impromptu appearance, Theetge gave a nearly 20-minute speech to the school board, calling out board members for not doing enough to help officers and other city stakeholders rein in the growing issue of youth violence around major transit centers.
"The police should not be the only people that Cincinnati Public School students have to answer to when they are misbehaving," Theetge said. "You as the board members, as the leaders of this school system, need to step up and make some policy changes. Afford us some of your resources to be out there with us."
Theetge detailed recent statistics in a presentation she showed to the board, which cited that although overall violent crime is down this year in Cincinnati, violent incidents involving youth have spiked around Government Square, Oakley Station, Northside Transit Center and Glenway Crossing.
Theetge said numbers have already surpassed last year's.
In 2023, there were 62 incidents around the Metro hubs. So far in 2024, that number is 74.
Most of these incidents involve 10 or more students at a time, Theetge said, which strains city resources, businesses and infrastructure.
"Students fighting in the flow of traffic, which causes traffic to stop and other traffic hazards. Stores and business owners have reported higher-level of stolen merchandise from students shoplifting. Nearby witnesses have reported overhearing students having conversations about firearms, and at times witnessing students carrying firearms on their person," the presentation read.
The department has spent $418,000 in police overtime manning officers at each transit center due to disorderly behavior, Theetge said.
Before Theetge voiced concern, Walnut Hills High School teacher James Martin told the board he's written to the mayor, multiple state lawmakers and a US representative.
"As a coach in the district for 26 years, I am worried about our students. All of our students ... I also am concerned about teachers, fellow colleagues, who are put into positions with little support and asked to succeed," he said. "As we approach the time of the year when we move inside and the weather gets colder I'm just very fearful that the violence that is going on outside will continue inside and we'll have more issues in the district and more issues with the students."
Other police officers intended to speak Monday night, but CPS Board President Eve Bolton wouldn't allow it.
"Madam Chief, we appreciate your sharing of this information, and very frankly, since the Chair did not even know that any of you were appearing and never even saw the presentation that you've given us, I appreciate what you've said, but we do not have time for the rest of your entourage to share with us more information," she said.
Before the presentation was cut short, Theetge warned the board that if things don't change, it's only a matter of time before the worst hypothetical becomes reality.
"We are going to have a critical incident at a transit center, at a school, at a football game or somewhere else where one of our highly skilled, well-trained Cincinnati police officers encounters a 12-, 13-, 14- or 15-year-old CPS student with a firearm," Theetge said. "Most likely that is going to end with either an officer having to decide to be shot or to shoot them."
WCPO reached out to CPS Tuesday about the chief's address to the board. The district responded with a statement.
Cincinnati Public Schools is committed to fostering safe, inclusive learning environments for every student. CPS acknowledges the Cincinnati Police Department's concerns about youth-involved violence in the community, in particular at Metro transit hubs. Addressing these complex challenges will involve shared responsibility and a collaborative process between law enforcement, schools, community partners and families. CPS is focused on long-term solutions to promote the safety and well-being of students, and remains dedicated to ongoing efforts aimed at violence prevention, mental health support and community engagement.
Interim Superintendent Shauna Murphy is inviting the community to join a public discussion on school safety. It takes place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the CPS Education Center Banquet Room at 2651 Burnet Avenue.
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