Associated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) - Serious crime has increased in Cincinnati’s business district and riverfront areas, which could mean more problems for the city’s struggling tourism industry, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday.
A newspaper analysis of police data showed that serious crime - including robbery, assault and auto theft - increased 19.4 percent in Cincinnati’s central business district and riverfront areas from January through April, compared with the same period last year.
The total number of serious crimes downtown rose from 550 during the first four months of 2001 to 657 through April this year, according to the analysis.
Crimes against people, specifically rape and robbery, led the increase. Ten rapes were reported during the first four months of this year versus two in the same 2001 period. Robberies rose 63 percent - from 35 to 57 - during the same period.
Tourism officials say the latest crime numbers could mean more problems for a city whose image was hurt by last April’s riots and the continuing racial tension and economic boycott.
“If crime statistics are up, it’s possible that that could have an impact on people’s decision to come to Greater Cincinnati,” said Julie Harrison Calvert, spokeswoman for the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“A lot of the perception surveys we do show that safety is one of the top concerns of people coming into Greater Cincinnati,” she said. “Certainly there is already a perception that exists that downtown is not safe.”
But Cincinnati’s crime statistics are not unusual for downtown areas and are not necessarily the best indication of the city’s safety, said Cincinnati Police spokesman Lt. Kurt Byrd.
“Crime stats by themselves just don’t tell you everything,” he said.
Attorney Bob Manley is a downtown resident and member of a volunteer surveillance team that has monitored crime downtown from rooftops and parking lots since 1993. He also believes the crime statistics are misleading.
“The biggest crime downtown that we see is car break-ins,” he said. “You’re probably in greater danger of being assaulted in the parking lot of a suburban shopping mall than you are downtown.”
Anastasia Mileham, spokeswoman for Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI), agrees that downtown Cincinnati is “safer than most people think.” But she said the perception of safety is important and needs to be addressed in the city’s marketing campaign.
DCI promotes downtown for property owners and recently has begun several marketing campaigns to combat the city’s negative images.