UC STUDY DETAILS 'OPEN-AIR' DRUG SALES

7 Cincinnati Street Corners in UC Study Generate Crime

Seven street corners known for drug dealing generated more than 3,000
police calls in 2004, according to a University of Cincinnati study
that was presented to city council's Law and Public Safety Committee
on Tuesday.

The study identified some key similarities in the so-called "open-air
drug markets" that were found in four neighborhoods - Avondale,
Evanston, Pendleton and West Price Hill.

The eight-month study, released in July 2005, found the markets are a
huge source of crime in the neighborhoods.

Tamara D. Madensen, director of the study, said some markets cater
more to outsiders than others.

"Some are so well established - in Pendleton, dealers were handing out
business cards with a map on the back with directions on how to get
there," Madensen said.

The biggest problem area was in Pendleton, where 780 calls to police
were centered on the market, in the 500 blocks of 12th Street and 13th
Street. Of those, only 36 involved drugs; the rest of the calls were
about shootings, robberies, assaults and other crimes in the area and
had a drug connection.

Crack was available at all the markets, but marijuana and heroin also
were for sale.

The study also found:

Each market was located near a convenience store, typically small,
individually owned shops rather than chain stores. The stores provide
legally sold paraphernalia, such as flowers in small glass vials (the
vials are used to smoke crack), are a source of customers, and give
dealers cover.

A high level of territoriality. A dealer or small group of dealers
often run a block. It's not uncommon for territorial conflicts to
result in violence.

The markets have intricate lookout and communication networks. Most
lookouts are very young - sometimes only 11 or 12 years old.

Most dealers sell drugs in their own neighborhoods. Most street-level
dealers are African-American men in their late teens or early 20s.

Each market is located on, or nearby, a major street or interstate
ramp.

To gather the information, doctoral students interviewed police and
residents, studied crime data - and went to the open-air drug markets.