Cincinnati police say the number of pedestrians hurt or killed in traffic accidents has been increasing in the last five years. The trend comes as officers are making fewer traffic stops and writing fewer citations.
Assistant police chief Paul Nuedigate says that's because the department is focused on problem-solving instead of writing tickets. "It's not just writing tickets," he says. "We have to look at things our different city partners can assist us with."
The police department has a list of 27 repeat crash locations involving pedestrians that it is asking officers to focus on. From 2013 to 2017, 30 pedestrians were killed as a result of traffic accidents. Nearly 1,600 pedestrians were injured during that same time period.
Neudigate says the fault lies on both drivers and those walking. "A lot of it goes back to inattention; lack of situational awareness; walking with headphones on and not paying attention and stepping out into traffic," he says.
At least one council member says the city needs to consider solutions that stack the deck in favor of pedestrians.