Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval spoke to reporters at City Hall about the city’s approach to public safety, which has become a national talking point after video of a Downtown brawl went viral on social media.
While Pureval emphasized that the city and its urban core are safe, he acknowledged the public perception that a spike in crime in the neighborhoods of Over-the-Rhine and Downtown has created a perception that the city is unsafe.
“Too many people perceive Downtown and OTR as unsafe, and that is very important,” he said.
The mayor added that since the city implemented a plan to combat crime in response to concerning trends in the urban core, officials have seen a stabilization in crime and, in some areas, a “significant decrease.”
He cited numerous initiatives by the city and the Cincinnati Police Department, which he said have been effective in fighting crime in the urban core. However, he said there’s more work that needs to be done.
“Cincinnati is safe. The Downtown, OTR areas are safe,” Pureval said. “But what is very important right now is that they need to be safer.”
What happened during July 26 brawl?
Multiple cellphone videos of the July 26 incident have gone viral via social media, putting Cincinnati under a spotlight in the conversation about policing and crime.
Body camera footage from two Cincinnati police officers captured unclear accounts of what happened.
Witnesses said they saw some fighting and heard a racial slur. A man who said he was attacked explained that the situation had already started when he left a nearby bar. Another said a “mob” was “throwing in” on White people.
Seven people have been charged with felonies in connection with the fights that happened just after 3 a.m. near the corner of Fourth and Elm streets.
Additional video provided to The Enquirer shows the incident on Fourth Street in downtown Cincinnati involved separate altercations in different locations, with several people attempting to intervene.
One of the men who police say was a victim can be heard shouting a racial slur. Leaders of Cincinnati’s Black community have called for the police to arrest the White man who slapped a Black man in the viral Downtown brawl.
So far, all of those charged in the incident have been Black.
A spike in violent crime in Cincinnati’s urban core was revealed in the wake of the June 4 killing of Over-the-Rhine business owner Patrick Heringer. His wife claimed the city was putting optics over outcomes when it came to policing.
Since then, Cincinnati police have launched a roving task force, a drone program, more visible patrols and several other programs aimed at increasing safety in the neighborhoods where residents come to work and visit for entertainment: Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.
What is Cincinnati doing to combat crime in Downtown, OTR?
Crime data released Aug. 11 shows short-term improvements in Downtown, but Over-the-Rhine is still struggling with property crime and homicides.
Month over month, Downtown saw a 26% reduction in serious violent crime and property crime, from a total of 129 to 96 offenses. However, yearly totals still show a 48% increase compared to 2024, from 482 to 715.
Over-the-Rhine saw a 4% increase in serious violent and property crime month over month, from 94 to 98 offenses. The neighborhood saw a 38% increase for the year, from 465 to 644 offenses.
“I want to start by making it very clear that violent crime has no place in the city of Cincinnati anywhere, whether it’s Downtown, OTR, our urban core or any of the rest of our 52 neighborhoods,” Pureval said. “It is our highest priority.”
Pureval said the city has been prioritizing police visibility in the urban core and enforcement of “street-level crimes.” The mayor said that property crimes, like car break-ins, have directly contributed to gun violence, as firearms are often taken from vehicles and used in future crimes.
Among the city’s initiatives to reduce crime, the department’s roving task force − a mix of undercover and uniformed Cincinnati police officers − has been focusing on “quality of life crimes,” including drug use, gambling and traffic issues.
The city has also deployed daily walking patrols to increase police visibility in high-traffic areas during evening hours.
The Cincinnati police Civil Disturbance Response Team and SWAT are patrolling The Banks and Fourth Street at night and in the early morning all week. Those teams will also conduct patrols at Fountain Square and on Main Street during weekend nights.
Cincinnati City Council members also approved a citywide 11 p.m. curfew for minors, as well as a “special extended curfew district,” including Downtown and Over-the-Rhine, that goes into effect at 9 p.m.
The curfew will start being enforced on Aug. 15, Pureval said. He added that non-law enforcement staff will work with children to ensure they’re complying with the curfew. However, if those steps fail, police officers will get involved.
Police have been trained to ask, tell and finally command that kids comply with the curfew. The children found breaking the curfew during weekends will be taken to Seven Hills Neighborhood House in the West End, or Lighthouse Youth Services for those experiencing homelessness.
“The point of this is to save kids,” Pureval said. “We want to prevent them from being victims of crime, and we want to prevent having to create a criminal record on a kid that will follow them for the rest of their lives.”
Pureval added that Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge has been in talks with state officials to have the Ohio State Highway Patrol begin patrolling the city’s highways and free up Cincinnati police to focus on urban core crime. The patrol’s aviation unit will also assist local police with crime reduction initiatives, suspect searches and vehicle pursuits.
“For those who don’t feel safe, that continues to be my priority, and we will continue to take this seriously and essentially only work on this until we fix it,” the mayor said.
Enquirer staff writers Cameron Knight, David Ferrara and Kevin Grasha contributed.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mayor Aftab Pureval says ‘Cincinnati is safe’ despite perceptions of Downtown crime
Reporting by Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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