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Number Of Shooting Victims Increasing In Cincinnati

The number of shooting victims in Cincinnati is increasing. New data shows year-to-date (through May 24) there have been 162 victims this year compared to 133 in 2014.

UC's Robin Engel works with the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence, or CIRV. She addressed Council's Law and Public Safety Committee Tuesday.

"We are actually above any other previous time period since 2006," Engel said.  "In the last month or so has been particularly violent, and we are trending right now unfortunately in the wrong direction."

For the same period, the number of gang or group member killings is significantly down from last year.

The number of homicides is down slightly during the same period. 

Council Member Charlie Winburn said he is concerned the city's not doing enough to reduce the numbers.

"I've had enough of just throwing money at stuff that don't work," Winburn said.  "It's not working and these numbers are going up and down, and we sit here and talk about how bad it is and how bad African-Americans killing other African-Americans is, but we don't have no plan."

Winburn said the city needs a 7 to 14 year plan to address the shooting incidents. He said the police department cannot do it all and needs community support.

Engel said CIRV is the plan.   

"It has been in effect since 2007, it's evidence based, it is the plan that people are using across the country, focused deterrence is the initiative," Engel said.  "It's been recommended by the Department of Justice, as the plan for violence reduction."

The shooting incidents are primarily concentrated in Avondale, Westwood, Winton Hills, Walnut Hills and the West End.
 

Jay Hanselman brings more than 10 years experience as a news anchor and reporter to 91.7 WVXU. He came to WVXU from WNKU, where he hosted the local broadcast of All Things Considered. Hanselman has been recognized for his reporting by the Kentucky AP Broadcasters Association, the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, and the Ohio AP Broadcasters.