Residents in the West End of Cincinnati are experiencing a dramatic increase in crime, particularly home burglaries. One resident, Mary Lockett, has been robbed five times in the past week. While the Cincinnati Police Department reported that the West End had experienced a 21 percent drop in violent crimes, the West End saw the most murders in the city with a total of nine, (Aldridge 2). Further, residents continue to be plagued by home burglaries due to an increase in prostitution and open-air drug dealing. As resident Mary Lockett maintained, “I want to find out why this is happening to me. Am I going to get my stuff back? And why can’t the police control this?” (Aldridge 1).
Such a crisis makes the Cincinnati Police Department and the West End Community Council and City Council look ineffective in protection of citizens and their property. It also makes them look ineffective in curbing the ongoing prostitution and drug-dealing in the area that motivate such criminal activities. The media had been involved in reporting the increase in criminal activity in the area, while residents of the West End continue to be victimized by thieves. The public continues to hold the police department responsible for its failure to control such activities in the area, while residents continue to protest to city council and the media.
There are a number of publics directly or indirectly affected by the increase in crime in the West End. These include:
All of the above publics are either directly or indirectly affected by the increase in crime in the West End. The police department has come under attack from residents, the media, and community and city councils for failing to provide enough protection for West End residents. The Cincinnati police department is also under fire for failing to curb the ongoing prostitution and drug dealing in the neighborhood that leads to such criminal activities. The main victims are the resid...