DRUG TRADE DRIVES MUCH OF THE VIOLENCE

In the past four years, violent crime has dropped a staggering 40
percent in Over-the-Rhine.

But an elusive and entrenched drug trade continues to thrive, one of
the biggest deterrents to the neighborhood's transformation.

Last year through November, police made 1,470 drug-related arrests -
the most of any city neighborhood, according to Cincinnati Police
statistics. Many are considered nonviolent offenses, but statistics
can be deceptive.

"Drugs go hand in hand with violent crime, and when a drug trade gets
ingrained in a neighborhood for such a long time it's not easily
removed," District 1 Captain Theresa Theetge says.

Fighting drugs in Over-the-Rhine has required a full range of police
power including street patrols, undercover investigations and
combined efforts targeting problem properties, engaging residents and
educating business owners.

Police say they've been most successful in areas where Cincinnati
Center City Development Corp. has focused its redevelopment effort:
Vine, Race, Elm and Main streets, all south of Liberty.

"That used to be a heavy drug area years ago," Theetge says.

Officer Tim Eppstein, a neighborhood liaison for two years, says
Over-the-Rhine's streets are mostly safe, "as long as you're not
buying or selling."

Those involved in drugs face real difficulties in getting out of the
business - even when they want to, police say.

"I've arrested three generations of families before," Eppstein says.
"It's a hard cycle to break. Once they catch a felony, it's tough to
get out from under that."

Eppstein - who often rides through Over-the-Rhine on a bicycle
because he says it's an easier approach for busting up deals - tells
of drugs being traded in potato chip bags or hidden in window sills.
Rarely are deals done in one-on-one exchanges.

"It's a groomed, hierarchical system," Eppstein says. "Typically,
they have one person hold the drugs, another hold the money, and then
there's a lookout."

Recently, Over-the-Rhine residents learned that they'll have one
fewer resource against violence and drugs.

City Council voted in December to cut funding for a $100,000 Drug and
Gun Elimination Program that paid off-duty and retired police
officers for undercover work and surveillance. That's in addition to
a cut made last year when Hamilton County sheriff's deputies pulled
out of neighborhood patrols.

In 2008, the drug and gun program was responsible for removing 16
guns and more than 500 grams of crack, cocaine and heroin off the
streets. Officials say the drugs had a street value of more than $170,000.

"It doesn't take long for criminal elements to figure out when
there's something not in place, and our biggest concern is that we
might see a spike in criminal activity," says Brian Tiffany,
executive director of the Over-the-Rhine Chamber.

"We've come such a long way, and I think one thing we all agree on is
that we don't want to take a step back."