The Cincinnati Enquirer has praised the city’s lawmakers for allocating $1.2 million to put more police on foot and bike patrols on the street through the end of August. The plan also calls for increased patrols to work with gang specialists to target gang-related homicides. Serious crime reported to police dropped by 7 percent lst year, but council member John Cranley said violent crime in his district rose 42 percent in the year ending last month. “We had a dramatic problem that needed to be addressed right now,” he said.
The city faces a projected $13.7 budget deficit in 2006. Cranley, who heads the council finance committee, is convinced that placing more police on the street is a prudent way to spend the taxpayers’ dollars. “Putting more police on the street is a good idea to curb violence during summer months,” says the Enquirer.
Link: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050527/EDIT01/505270343