Local policy issues
local Informative articles
The city of Springdale’s data from 2001—2012 has shown that the crime rate in Springdale in most cases has reduced significantly as a result of the community’s determination to work together in order to make Springdale, Ohio a better place to live for everyone.
Sex offense and assaults are some of the crimes that have a significantly low rate in Springdale, Ohio. According to the city’s data, the ratio of the number of residents in Springdale to the number of sex offenders is 11,198 to 1.
Violent crime rates in Springdale are lower than the average violent crime rate in the United States as a whole. Although it has decreased considerably and it is getting close to the U.S. average from 2010 to 2012, the property crime rate in Springdale has been more than the average property crime rate in the country in general.
Murder has registered a higher rate in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2011, but there has been no registered murder from 2001 to 2012 except in the years listed above. Two main crimes in Springdale, Ohio that have a very high rate are robbery and theft. Theft in particular had sky rocketed from the average theft rate in the United States from 2001 to 2012. The highest theft rate in Springdale, Ohio was in 2003.
In general, the overall crime rate in Springdale, Ohio from 2001 to 2012 is higher than the United States average, but it has recorded a very low rate from 2010 to 2012. The community is pleased that the crime rates are reducing, but still thinks that the people and the government need to work more to get as close to zero crime rate as possible.
Crime rates in Springdale
Forest Park gas station shooting and robbery in relation to community efforts to allay crime frequency
On Thursday, November 13th, the man allegedly involved in a gas station shooting and car robbery was identified and soon indicted by a grand jury in Hamilton County. This case is one of few violent crime cases that have occurred in the past few years. The city of Forest Park has been trying to instill Neighborhood Watch programs and public policy in an effort to decrease or protect against dangerous crimes and criminals.
The man identified in the shooting was 25 year old Eric Lusenhop. Footage of the event was released by police as a means to illustrate the details of the situation to the public in hopes of identifying the suspect.
The shooting had occurred on a Thursday night in late October at a Forest Park Sunoco Gas Station. The victim, Norman Williams Sr., had explained in an interview with Fox19news that he was standing in line at the gas station, and when heard that the man in front of him was a nickel short, he decided to help him with his payment. Shortly thereafter as he walked to his car, he was faced by a man looming near him. In the interview Williams recounts:
"He [Lusenhop] said, 'give it up! Give it up! Give it up,'" Williams told FOX19 NOW.”
He then found himself with a gun at his face. Williams explains: "My first reaction was to grab the gun. I grabbed the gun and I put it down and we wrestled for a second, and I heard a gunshot…”
The gun shot had fortuitously gone through his pant leg, barely missing him. All things considered, Williams was left unscathed. The suspect then made his escape, taking Williams’ car along with him. The car was found abandoned a few hours later.
Police eventually found the suspect when they picked him out of a police lineup. Lusenhop was put under the charges of felonious assault, aggravated robbery, and illegal possession of a weapon.
This case is a bit of an anomaly in this generally peaceful area. It may bring about a lot of questions pertaining to the safety and prevalence of violent crime in the area. Efforts by organizations in the city such as The Neighborhood Watch Program will endeavor to help in identifying criminal suspects and prevent such violent crimes from occurring closer to residential areas.
The Neighborhood Block Watch Program in Forest Park has been around since 1982. It empowers residents of the community to take a stand against crime, drugs, social and physical disorder, among other things. This program is a sort of informal extension of the local police force. It is a crucial aspect of crime prevention in the city, since members are able to understand the goings-on within neighborhoods—information police officers could not easily obtain.
Here are statistics that encapsulates the disparity of violent crime in Forest Park to that of the rest of the nation:
These numbers delineate the aspect of crimes that were committed by Lusenhop. Efforts by the Neighborhood Watch Program have helped to decrease certain instances of crime, especially with assaults and auto thefts.
Through the policies of the Neighborhood Watch,in conjunction with the Forest Park Police Department, the ultimate goal of the community is to eradicate or at least lessen the effects and occurrence of harmful crime.
$23 Million Invested by Companies in the City of Forest Park
According to the 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report provided by the City of Forest Park, The City of Forest park located in Cincinnati, Ohio has seen $23 million on projects have been created or retained in 2013. These business investments are coming from the following companies: Ameritas, Cleanlites, Hillman, Northland Village Apartments, VXI, DMG and WT Bryan Associates. Of these companies, three invested in retention type projects, three invested in new businesses type projects and one invested in a redevelopment type project. These companies investing in the City of Forest Park due to funding a form of project prove to impact the citizens who live in the City of Forest Park.
The City of Forest Park is seeing over 1,100 jobs being created as a direct impact to these investments. These companies need employment to fulfill projects that they are funding. The development of jobs is an important demonstration of the City of Forest Park’s economic system growing and able to provide positive incentives to supporters of these company’s investments. A fully growing of the economy within the City of Forest Park is a goal that is currently being met and seems to continue to be met for the year to come. According to a report by Colliers International, a leading commercial real estate firm,
The Greater Cincinnati Market ended 2013 on a good note as activity in the fourth quarter improved. The Office market was off slightly during the last three months of the year. However, the industrial and retail markets saw modest gains. Demand For space appears to be increasing, and the economy appears to be moving from a recovery stage to slight growth and expansion.
The City of Forest park is a district that is developing in a higher than average rate with a growing future to come.
The state of California’s economy rate has been going up and is continuing to go up. They have made millions of jobs for people of their state and the levels of unemployment has went down greatly. Many other states doesn’t have the power or money to do what California is doing and it is not helping the other countries. But California has many other problems that they are facing like poverty which can be help by this work and job rate that is going up. California has one of the highest poverty rates in the United States, and with this job rate going up California’s poverty rate can go down also.
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Development Zone
Springfield Township voted on an issue which is called the Joint Development Zone which helps with the pay of people in the Zone. The Development Zone means that they are trying to develop a plan to help get money and how it can be spread equally. The Development Zone effects business owners, and the people of Springfield. It enables the implementation of an earnings tax on individuals working in the Zone and on the net profits of business located in the Zone. On May 6th the residents voted on the issue. The Zone properties that are focused on are where businesses located and individuals work and home based businesses.
The State law requires a partnering jurisdiction to any earnings tax for townships. The partnering jurisdiction is with Mt. Healthy. The collection taxes will be conducted by the Regional Income Tax Agency. All businesses or employers located in the JEDZ is responsible for 1 and ¼ % of earnings tax on wages of all employees working in the Zone by August 1, 2014. Businesses are responsible 1/2% earnings tax on the net profits.