( CINCINNATI, OH ) -- Crime numbers were presented for 2018 by Lt. Col. Michael John of the Cincinnati Police Department. He started by saying that overall, crime numbers are down in all neighborhoods.
There's a 9.3% reduction overall in crime from 2017 to 2018. However, over the past 8 years, we've seen a nearly 34% reduction. Even in Cincinnati's largest police district, District 3 (which includes Westwood), there was a 13% reduction in crime from 2017 to 2018. Lt. Col. John told council's Law & Public Safety Committee that the usual statistic in policing is a fluctuation in crime numbers, year-over-year, however, Cincinnati has maintained a steady decline for more than 5 years.
Lt. Col. John also says that looking at the statistics he had available to him, 2018 saw the lowest percentage of shootings that he had seen. From 2017 to 2018, it was an 18% reduction. Over a 5-year period, it was a 20% reduction in averages.