Cincinnati Police Department
Encyclopedia
The Cincinnati Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency
of Cincinnati, Ohio
, USA
. The department has 1,057 sworn officer
s and 281 non-sworn employees. The previous Chief, Col. Thomas H. Streicher retired on March 18, 2011. James E. Craig was appointed Police Chief on August 2, 2011.
Cincinnati also has a museum dedicated to their police force, known as The Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society Museum.
were a reaction to the fatal shooting in Cincinnati of Timothy Thomas, a 19-year-old black male, by Steven Roach, a white police officer, during an on-foot pursuit by several officers. Businesses were looted, storefronts damaged, and small fires were set. Since the riots, Cincinnati has set city records for murders and other violent crime, though the relationship between such crime and the riots is not clear. In 2006, 89 people were murdered in Cincinnati, setting a record for most murders since city records were kept.
In December 2007, the RAND Corporation published a review of traffic stops found no evidence of a departmentwide pattern of racial bias in the decision to stop. When looking at what happens after the stop, black residents in Cincinnati are searched at a
higher rate than nonblacks in Cincinnati, and they are stopped for longer periods of time. However, much of these differences can be attributed to factors such as the location and time of the stop, the reason for the stop, and whether the driver in the traffic stop had a valid driver’s license. When RAND accounted for these factors and matched stops of black drivers with stops of similarly situated nonblack drivers, RAND found that officers searched black and “matched” nonblack drivers at nearly the same rates in situations where officers have discretion whether or not to search.
The case was escalated in relevance when two further incidents occurred. Roger Owensby, Jr
. died November 7, 2000 while struggling with police. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office found that he died due to manual asphyxiation from a chokehold
either while the chokehold was being applied or afterwards from his injuries and the way he was positioned in the back of the cruiser. Early in the morning hours, after Owensby's death, Jeffery Irons, another black male, was killed after taking a sergeant's gun and shooting another officer.
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The department has 1,057 sworn officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s and 281 non-sworn employees. The previous Chief, Col. Thomas H. Streicher retired on March 18, 2011. James E. Craig was appointed Police Chief on August 2, 2011.
Organization
Under the command of the Police Chief, the Police Department's responsibilities are divided among five bureaus: Patrol, Resource, Investigations, Administration, and Information Management.Administration
Commanded by an assistant chief, is responsible for coordinating and performing inter-bureau planning tasks, and special research evaluation studies. This bureau consists of the Internal Investigations Section, Planning Section, and Training Section.Information Management
Is responsible for data collection and retrieval, upgrading/maintenance of technology and information systems, World Wide Web page construction and management, and crime analysis and mapping. This bureau consists of the Police Communications Section, Telephone Crime Reporting Unit, Information Technology Management Section (ITMS), CAD/RMS Project Unit, Crime Analysis Unit, and Records Section.Investigations
Consists of the Central Vice Control Section and the Criminal Investigation Section. This bureau handles investigations and gathers intelligence involving vice activity, homicides, sex crimes, crimes against children and property crimes.Patrol
Performs all primary police functions. Bureau personnel respond to citizen requests for police assistance, enforce criminal and traffic laws, investigate criminal activity, take offense reports and regulate non-criminal conduct. It consists of the five police districts, a Night Chief, Patrol Administration, Community Oriented Policing, Vortex Unit, Special Services Section and SWAT.Resource
Performs a variety of functions that support the operation of the Department. It oversees the operation of the Evidence/Property Management Section, Finance Management Section, Inspections Section, and Personnel Section. It is responsible for the Court Property Unit, Impound Unit, Supply Unit, Fleet Management Unit, Grant/Alarm Unit, Payroll/Purchasing Unit, Court Control Unit, Detail Coordination Unit, Accreditation Unit, Employee Relations Unit, Recruiting Unit, and Background Investigation Unit.Rank structure and insignia
The Cincinnati Police Department uses these sworn personnel ranks:| Title | Insignia | Duties | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police Chief | Chief of Department | ||
| Assistant Chief/Lt. Colonel Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence... |
 |
Assistant Chief, Commander of Departmental Bureaus | |
| Captain Police captain - France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant.... |
 |
Commander of Patrol Districts and Major Units | |
| Lieutenant |  |
Commander of Specialty Units, District Patrol Shifts, and District Investigative Units | |
| Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent.... |
Squad Commander. Manage relief officers and specialized units | ||
| Police Specialist | |||
| Police Officer Police officer A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force... |
|||
History
When Cincinnati incorporated as a village in 1802, a ‘night watch’ was established, primarily to guard against fire, but also to ensure the peace. The organization of a police force similar to those in other cities came in 1859 with the appointment of the first police commissioner.Cincinnati also has a museum dedicated to their police force, known as The Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society Museum.
2001 Cincinnati riots
The 2001 Cincinnati riots2001 Cincinnati riots
The Cincinnati riots of 2001 were the largest urban disorders in the United States since the Los Angeles riots of 1992. The four days of rioting were a reaction to the fatal shooting in Cincinnati, Ohio of Timothy Thomas, a 19-year-old black male, by Steven Roach, a white police officer, during an...
were a reaction to the fatal shooting in Cincinnati of Timothy Thomas, a 19-year-old black male, by Steven Roach, a white police officer, during an on-foot pursuit by several officers. Businesses were looted, storefronts damaged, and small fires were set. Since the riots, Cincinnati has set city records for murders and other violent crime, though the relationship between such crime and the riots is not clear. In 2006, 89 people were murdered in Cincinnati, setting a record for most murders since city records were kept.
Racial profiling
A local independent magazine, City Beat, published research that an "analysis of 141,000 traffic citations written by Cincinnati Police in a 22-month period found black drivers twice as likely as whites to be cited for driving without a license, twice as likely to be cited for not wearing a seat belt and four times as likely to be cited for driving without proof of insurance."In December 2007, the RAND Corporation published a review of traffic stops found no evidence of a departmentwide pattern of racial bias in the decision to stop. When looking at what happens after the stop, black residents in Cincinnati are searched at a
higher rate than nonblacks in Cincinnati, and they are stopped for longer periods of time. However, much of these differences can be attributed to factors such as the location and time of the stop, the reason for the stop, and whether the driver in the traffic stop had a valid driver’s license. When RAND accounted for these factors and matched stops of black drivers with stops of similarly situated nonblack drivers, RAND found that officers searched black and “matched” nonblack drivers at nearly the same rates in situations where officers have discretion whether or not to search.
Owensby, Irons & Tyehimba
A black businessman, Bomani Tyehimba, filed a lawsuit in 1999 against the city of Cincinnati. He claimed that police illegally ordered him out of his car, handcuffed him and held a gun to his head during a routine traffic stop. Unlike previous cases, there was a shift to introduce a policy and procedure change in CPD behavior.The case was escalated in relevance when two further incidents occurred. Roger Owensby, Jr
Roger Owensby, Jr
Roger Owensby, Jr. was an African American man who died November 7, 2000 after a foot chase and scuffle with the Cincinnati Police Department in Roselawn, Cincinnati, Ohio at 8 p.m....
. died November 7, 2000 while struggling with police. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office found that he died due to manual asphyxiation from a chokehold
Chokehold
A chokehold or choke is a general term for grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air or blood from passing through the neck of an opponent. The restriction may be of one or both and depends on the hold used and the reaction of the victim...
either while the chokehold was being applied or afterwards from his injuries and the way he was positioned in the back of the cruiser. Early in the morning hours, after Owensby's death, Jeffery Irons, another black male, was killed after taking a sergeant's gun and shooting another officer.
Other incidents
In Cincinnati between February 1995 and April 2001, fifteen black males under the age of 40 were killed by police or died in custody. Of the fifteen black men, three (including Thomas) did not possess or employ any weapons against police during the confrontations. During these confrontations four police officers were killed or wounded. No police were ever found guilty through any civil or criminal trials as a result of these incidents, and in only one case were the police officers involved reprimanded and given extra training (officers Michael Miller III and Brent McCurley, in the case of the death of Michael Carpenter).See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Ohio
- Police Women of CincinnatiPolice Women of CincinnatiPolice Women of Cincinnati is the fifth season of Police Women on TLC. It follows four female members of the Cincinnati Police Department in Cincinnati, Ohio.-Cast:...
- 2011 TLCTLC (TV channel)TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
documentary series featuring four of the CPD's female officers - The Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society Museum