CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Police Department is moving from five police districts to four districts next year, but Chief Teresa Theetge promised residents the changes wouldn’t affect response time or level of service.

City Manager Sheryl Long joined Theetge and other elected officials at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon to outline the department restructuring plan. Reasons for the change ranged from an expiring lease agreement for District 5’s current facility and a months-long analysis of crime and calls-for-service data.

Right now, District 5 headquarters is a shopping center on Hamilton Avenue. The city moved the district to that site in 2018 from a small, dated site on Ludlow Avenue that it called home for nearly 60 years.

The city initially viewed the move to College Hill as temporary, Long said. But over the years, couldn’t settle on a new location or develop a funding source for the project estimated to cost up to $30 million. 

Long described the realignment as the best permanent solution for the department and residents.

“We’re not going to kick the can down the road, or continue putting our officers in a temporary workspace,” she added.

The $110,000 lease for the current District 5 headquarters expires at the end of the year. When it does, communities currently assigned to District 5 will move to other districts.

A look at Cincinnati's new police districts for 2024 and beyond. (Photo courtesy of City of Cincinnati)

College Hill, Mount Airy, Northside and Camp Washington are moving to District 3 focused on the city’s west side. Winton Hills, Spring Grove Village and Clifton are going to District 4 in the northern part of Cincinnati. CUF, which is close to downtown, is moving to District 1.

The city is also moving several neighborhoods not in District 5 to maximize resources, Theetge said.

Mt. Auburn is going from District 4 to District 1, while Walnut Hills is moving to District 2 on the east side of town. Mount Adams is becoming part of the Central Business Section based at The Banks. The Central Business Section is not a district.

Some neighborhoods will see a farther distance to their local district, Theetge admitted. Most are no farther than about half a mile, she said, but some are longer. Mount Adams is about a mile-and-a-half to The Banks.

Theetge stressed that most officers spend the bulk of their day patrolling their designated neighborhood, so they rarely need to travel back to the station after the pre-shift rollcall. CPD vehicles have “all the tools” they need, she added. “That’s really their office.”

In the past, CPD had seven police districts, Theetge said. Over time, the number eventually dropped to six and then the current number of five. Given the data and departmental realities, she called this the right time to move to four.

“As we all prepare for the closing of District 5, rest assured that there will be no interruption in police services and our remaining police districts will continue to be accessible to all,” Theetge added.

No officers are losing job or getting demoted because of the departmental realignment, Long said. But there will be some staffing changes to ensure needs get met.

Officers can apply for a new district or assignment, Theetge said. She said CPD leadership will make those decisions based on rank, seniority and overall need.

Voicing a new for “community continuity,” Theetge a desire to keep as many neighborhood liaison officers in place as possible. Those officers work closely with neighborhood or community council groups to address block-by-block issues. They often serve as an intermediary between the department and residents.

Despite moving to a new district, CUF’s neighborhood liaison officer is staying in place, Theetge said. But that won’t be the case in all situations. 

The department is getting rid of some positions because of a lack of need through attrition, Theetge said. That includes reducing the complement of sergeants from 164 to 140 as the officers holding those roles receive promotions, retire or leave the force.

Theetge admitted that losing senior positions could hurt employee morale.

Police officials said no officers are losing their jobs or ranks. They also committed to providing the same level of service after the changes take place. (Spectrum News 1/Casey Weldon)

The city needs to make some minor upgrades to the remaining four districts to accommodate the influx of staff, Theetge said. She gave the example of needing to make upgrades to women’s locker room at one facility.

In general, though, the districts have more than enough workspace, Theetge said. She noted that they each had more officers in the past than their current staffing levels. 

CPD currently has 952 officers, according to city data. A department spokesperson described that number as being “at least 100 officers” short of their preferred staffing level.

Theetge emphasized that Cincinnati’s Fraternal Order of Police, FOP Lodge No. 69, has continued to reiterate over the past five years that the current District 5 site was not an ideal long-term solution. She agreed with them on Tuesday.

“That’s not where they want to be long term,” Theetge added.

Theetge had a few ideas for restructuring that she discussed with members of the city administration before settling on the current path forward. Her first conversation with the FOP’s leadership team happened Tuesday morning, according to FOP President Dan Hils. Hils attended a presentation at District 1 from Theetge and Long.

“I mostly approve of the plan as long as money saved goes toward police retention bonuses,” said Hils. “I expressed to (Long and Theetge) that bonuses are needed, and this would be an awesome time to put that out there for morale.”

Long hopes to put the wheels in motion on the plan in mid-November and early December. She wanted to provide ample time to hear questions and concerns from officers, civilian staff and the community before Jan. 1.

The city will host a pair of 90-minute town halls in June to answer questions and address to the public about the changes. They are Wednesday, June 7 at College Hill Recreation Center and Tuesday, June 27 at Winton Hills Recreation Center Gym. Both meetings start at 6 p.m. 

There’s the potential for additional meetings beyond those two events depending on requests from residents and community groups, Theetge said. The city of Cincinnati also created a website with pertinent information and a frequently asked questions section.

“This is going to take ongoing conversations to make sure everybody’s needs are met,” Theetge said.