Public Safety

By Kevin Flynn

• Support for Police and Fire.
• Increase visibility and dialogue between community and police.
• Increase efficiency in fire department medical emergency runs.

The Cincinnati Police Department and the Cincinnati Fire Department have always done a great job of protecting the citizens of Cincinnati. In recent years they have improved even more. The response times for our fire department are the envy of cities across the nation. In the summer of 2008, at the close of the national NAACP Convention held in Cincinnati, the delegates gave the police department a standing ovation. Yet the perception remains that Cincinnati is unsafe.

As a City and as a Council, we need to support the men and women who keep our city safe. They put their lives at risk for us every day. It is a job that not many of us could do at all, much less with the dedication and excellence demonstrated daily by our police and fire departments. We must provide our guardians with the tools needed to do their jobs properly.

The police can not keep Cincinnati safe by themselves. The community needs to assist the police. Cincinnati needs to encourage the expansion of the 'Citizens on Patrol' and 'Community Problem Oriented Policing' initiatives. Police officers need to continue to get out of their patrol cars for part of their shift and get to know the people that they are protecting. If people trust the police and know that the police will protect them, they will be more willing to talk to the police and aid the police in solving crimes.

The Cincinnati Fire Department saved my life 7 ½ years ago. No one appreciates the job they do for this city more than me. The Department needs to be able to efficiently respond to true emergencies. 73% of the calls answered by the department are for medical emergencies. We need to equip our fire houses properly for both our male and female firefighters and with the appropriate equipment so that the emergency can be dealt with immediately and effectively. It is inefficient for our first responders to arrive on a pumper truck that has a half million dollar capital cost and high operating and maintenance costs. More ambulances will cost money in the short term but save money and lives in the long term. The department's goal of having all firefighters trained as paramedics is a laudable goal, but it should be done in an efficient manner. There is no reason that all potential recruits, in order to take the test to become a Cincinnati Firefighter, be a certified paramedic. This is not the case now. Over time, this will eliminate over $1,000,000 (2008 dollars) in unnecessary spending from the Fire Department Budget and will make the Department more efficient as roughnecks will have the proper training from day one.

If Council does not support our police officers and fire fighters, who will? We must continue to support our programs that are aimed at preventing criminal activity and stopping future criminal activity. We must provide sufficient staffing and equipment to allow our safety personnel to do their jobs.