Police Districts
Overview: Cincinnati's Police Districts
The City of Cincinnati is divided into four Police Districts, each commanded by a captain who is responsible for operations and personnel deployment.
Police officers assigned to the districts for uniform patrol activity are generally divided into three fixed shifts. Each shift is commanded by a lieutenant. The first shift has starting times of 6:00 AM. The second shift has starting times that vary from 12:00-2:00 PM, depending upon the service demands of each individual district. The third shift has starting times that vary from 7:00-9:00 PM.
The districts provide uniformed patrols in a variety of ways. In addition to marked vehicle and foot patrols, each district contains a Mountain Bike Squad. These officers provide a full range of police services. The district efforts are supplemented by mounted and canine patrols as needed.
Each district has an investigative unit commanded by a lieutenant. This unit investigates crimes occurring within the district. When necessary, the unit coordinates these investigations with the Criminal Investigation Section (CIS) of the Investigations Bureau.
Each district has a Neighborhood Liaison Unit (NLU) supervised by a sergeant. The NLU is staffed with problem oriented policing officers assigned to each neighborhood in that district. These officers are the best resource when neighbors are dealing with long-term issues.
Each district fields a Violent Crimes Squad (VCS) supervised by a sergeant. VCS officers concentrate on responding to and investigating reports of violent crimes. They also serve outstanding warrants to arrest and incarcerate the subjects committing these violent crimes.
Each district assigns officers to perform specialized law enforcement tasks that include crime prevention, community relations, vice enforcement activities, traffic control, crime analysis, and warrant service.