Crime in Cincinnati explained

City Name:Cincinnati, Ohio
Year:2019
Homicide:21.1
Forcible Rape:92.31***
Robbery:287.47
Aggravated Assault:443.73
Violent Crime:844.6
Burglary:911.53
Larceny Theft:2945.59
Motor Vehicle Theft:445.38
Property Crime:4302.5
Source Url:https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-8/table-8-state-cuts/ohio.xls
Source Name:FBI 2019 UCR data
Notes:
    • For Arson: the FBI determined that the agency's data were underreported. Consequently, those data are not included in this table
      • Revised definition[1]

Crime in Cincinnati, Ohio has been a concern of residents since the 18th century.

Earliest years

The first recorded crime in Cincinnati's history was a petty theft in 1789. Under the judgement of William McMillan, informally appointed justice of the peace, one Patrick Grimes was sentenced to twenty-nine lashes after being caught stealing cucumbers. That occurred during the first year of the settlement, then still named "Losantiville", when food and other resources were extremely scarce.[2]

Controversies over law enforcement quickly followed the establishment of government in the community: the military commander at Fort Washington deemed the region to be under his government, rejecting any authority set up by the settlers. When a second crime was reported to Judge McMillan, the accused fled to the fort for refuge, and the commander ordered Losantiville's court to renounce its jurisdiction. The judge replied with a message suggesting that the commander mind his own business, and blows ensued when a detachment of soldiers was sent to arrest the judge.

However, permanent civilian law enforcement was established soon after the incident. In August 1788, the Northwest Territory legislature, meeting in Marietta, had enacted an enabling act creating a Court of Quarter Sessions for the region, and local residents quickly took advantage of the law's provisions; William McMillan was named one of the court's first judges.[3]

Crime over time

Overall violent crime reached an all-time low in 2022; rape and robbery went up that year, while homicides and aggravated assaults decreased.[4] Property crimes went up in 2022, primarily driven by an increase in auto thefts.[5]

Using FBI data for 2019, Cincinnati ranks 19th in the 100 most populous cities in the U.S. for overall crime rate (includes both violent and property crime).

Homicides reached a record high 94 in 2020,[6] and the record was matched in 2021.[7] There were 78 homicides in 2022; of those, 64 involved a firearm.

The City of Cincinnati publishes several public safety dashboards online:

YearHomicides
201072
201167
201253
201374
201463
201571
201662
201771
201861
201973
202094
202194
202278

[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FBI.
  2. Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors. American Guide Series. Cincinnati: Wiesen-Hart, 1943, 8.
  3. Greve, Charles Theodore. Centennial History of Cincinnati and Representative Citizens. Vol. 1. Chicago" Biographical, 1904, 309.
  4. Web site: 2023-02-07 . Violent crime in Cincinnati is at an all-time low, despite increased reports of rape, non-fatal shootings . 2023-02-13 . WVXU . en.
  5. Web site: 2023-02-07 . Violent crime in Cincinnati is at an all-time low, despite increased reports of rape, non-fatal shootings . 2023-02-13 . WVXU . en.
  6. Web site: 2021-01-21 . Cincinnati Saw Record Number Of Homicides In 2020 . 2023-02-13 . WVXU . en.
  7. Web site: 2022-01-25 . Cincinnati crime is at a 10-year low, even after tying the record for homicides last year . 2023-02-13 . WVXU . en.
  8. Web site: Cincinnati News, Sports and Things to do | Cincinnati Enquirer.
  9. Web site: Crime & Courts - Cincinnati.com - cincinnati.com. Cincinnati.com. September 25, 2014.
  10. Web site: New city officials face hangover of problems. Cincinnati.com. September 25, 2014.
  11. News: INTERACTIVE MAP: Killings, shootings and violent crime all down in Cincinnati in 2014. Kareem. Elgazzar. January 2, 2015. WCPO-TV. January 2, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150104203301/http://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/hold-homicides-2014. January 4, 2015. dead.
  12. Web site: Here's where city's shootings occur.