Cincinnati police are trying a mass arrest policy to fight neighborhood crime. A task force that made 1,080 arrests over the past month in a neighborhood called Over-the-Rhine will start a new roundup in two other neighborhoods, Walnut Hills and East Walnut Hills, starting today, says the Cincinnati Inquirer. The task force used 42 officers on mountain bikes, in plainclothes, and in uniforms to saturate Over-the-Rhine, disrupting open-air drug markets and reducing crime. The police department spent about $90,000 in overtime, paid for by a combination of grants.
While the number of arrests was large, about 80 percent were for misdemeanor violations. Most suspects were immediately released from jail. Some people were arrested multiple times – 78 people busted twice, 19 arrested three times, and seven arrested four times. There was one person arrested five times and another arrested six times during the month.
Link: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060524/NEWS01/605240352