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Cincinnati Police are getting ready for a spike in crime. On the West side, police and city leaders are focusing on ways to reach out to teens - to keep them off the streets. 

Local 12's Angenette Levy was there as leaders discussed their plan on Tuesday night.

Police on Cincinnati's West side say they've identified 150 teens who are suspects in robberies. Police say it's a problem they can't arrest their way out of. Now as we get closer to the summer months, police are trying to find new, creative ways to reach out to teens - to keep them off the streets.

The flashing lights of police cruisers are a familiar sight in some West side neighborhoods. Police say teens in gangs are often at the center of the crime. Capt. Russ Neville: "Ours are specific to robberies and large disruptive crowds." 

District Three Commander Captain Neville says teens committed nearly 40 percent of the robberies in District Three- driving down the quality of life in neighborhoods like East Price Hill. Patti Hogan is a resident. "It has a devastating effect on the businesses, it has a devastating effect on the people that just want to go out and walk." 

Police on the city's West side held a strategy session with juvenile court judges public defenders, Cincinnati school officials, clergy and others to come up with ways to get teens in trouble on the right track. Judge John Williams: "Most of the kids that go down a criminal path are not appropriate in terms of grade level, and that starts with truancy, it starts at home with some times a kid doesn't want to go to school." 

Police want to conduct truancy sweeps and crack down on teen curfew violators. The goal is to show teens there's another way - starting with this meeting.   "I think the very critical piece was there was very open communication with the juvenile courts." 

Patti Hogan adds, "I think it's gonna to take pastors, it's gonna take the schools, it's gonna take everybody to make it happen." 

There was some discussion about reaching out to probation officers who are particularly effective in dealing with teens. and, getting kids involved in activities and helping them get jobs. So, this is still a work in progress. 

Cincinnati Police hope to hold another meeting soon to discuss more ideas for reaching out to teens.  

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http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Cincinnati-Police-Ready-For-Summer-Spike-in-Crime/9iaNGdAAHEWgy65bNlbf-w.cspx


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