As its designated Neighborhood Officer, she works closely with the Walnut Hills Area Council’s safety committee to exercise Cincinnati Police Department’s Community Problem Oriented Policing strategy. Officer Kandice Roper-Issa is a familiar face in Walnut Hills. While much has improved, instances like these perpetuate a decades-old misconception of Walnut Hills as a haven for criminal activity - even though community leaders and statistics tell a different story. One, a homicide in a vacant housing complex the other, random victimization of a local resident. In a disappointing turn, Walnut Hills welcomed 2017 with two widely reported violent crimes. But as of December 2016, that figure was on the decline with shootings, for example, dropping more than 30 percent. A few years ago, Walnut Hills ranked highest in violent crimes among Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. Walnut Hills shares many of the safety issues present in similar mixed-income urban communities, but while theft, vandalism and other property crimes are still common, violent crimes are increasingly rare. Now, the future of Walnut Hills depends on cooperation between old and new leaders and their shared commitment to providing a safe community for all residents.Ĭlick below to hear a conversation with former sheriff's deputy and Walnut Hills security guard John Maclanagan, whose community policing efforts were instrumental in shaping the increased safety residents enjoy today.Ĭommunity policing tackles roots of safety issues

Lower crime rates, together with economic investments and housing developments in the area, are helping attract a diverse group of residents. Today, safety and quality of life are better in Walnut Hills, which are the evidence of the tenacity of those community leaders and the others who have joined them. But residents didn’t go down without a fight for the sake of their beloved community, a handful of citizens organized to address issues like education, housing, social services and safety. Twenty years ago, Walnut Hills was a neighborhood plagued by crime, economic depression and resulting population loss.

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