Cincinnati police give out more than 550 tickets during two-week traffic blitz

CINCINNATI — More than 500 tickets were given out during a two-week citywide traffic enforcement safety blitz in Cincinnati, police said.

During city council's public safety and governance committee meeting, CPD said 557 total tickets were given out between Monday, Oct. 10 and Friday, Oct. 21. Several warnings were also given out, though police did not include them in any totals.

Lt. Robert Van Horn with CPD's Traffic unit said their general goal was to reduce fatal and serious crashes in the city. Officers were specifically looking for moving and pedestrian violations during the blitz.

Of the nearly 560 tickets, 290 were speeding violations and 101 were for no driver's license or driving under a suspended license. There were only four pedestrian violations.

"I think everybody is pretty much on the same page that it appears driving habits have gotten a little out of hand post-pandemic ... so it was time for us to conduct some focused traffic enforcement," CPD Chief Theetge said.

CPD dedicated 10 officers to traffic enforcement between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. for those two weeks. They focused on areas that had numerous complaints or a history of fatal crashes and violent crimes.

Each police district had five locations picked for increased patrols. Van Horn said W. Liberty Street and Colerain Avenue were just two of the roads where they focused their efforts. He said there was no use of force during those traffic stops and said many drivers were apologetic and polite.

The data shared was not separated by road or district. Van Horn mentioned there were two gun arrests during traffic stops.

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