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Local police chiefs are sounding off after viral footage of a brutal Cincinnati assault shined new light on what local leaders are saying is a consistent failure regarding violent offenders being released onto the city’s streets.
In a statement released by the Hamilton County Association of Chiefs of Police on Aug. 8, the organization blasted local leaders for “gaps in the judicial process” within the local government.
“It is not enough to arrest violent offenders if they are swiftly released back into our neighborhoods due to lax bail practices or insufficient sentencing,” the statement said.
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The association vowed to host a roundtable discussion with local leaders within the next 30 days to address the community’s concerns regarding safety after the July 26 beatdown on the corner of Fourth and Elm streets left six injured and led to six arrests.
“The goal is to foster open, solution-focused dialogue around strengthening public safety while ensuring fairness and integrity across the entire justice process,” the statement said.
The update comes as police response time to the fight has been heavily criticized after Cincinnati Police Chief Theresa Theetge revealed only 11 officers were stationed downtown when the beatdown occurred.
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WATCH: Video of racial slur yelled during Cincinnati beatdown emerges
The city’s bail policies have also come under fire from Republican mayoral challenger Cory Bowman, who is looking to unseat incumbent Mayor Aftab Pureval, a Democrat, in the upcoming election.
“There are things from City Hall that are showing that the police are not supported the way they need to,” Bowman, Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother, told Fox News Digital. “They are unable to do their jobs because they’ve been told time and time again that they have to use restraint in certain things instead of enforcing the law. They’re told to dial back, and then what happens is that we have prosecutors and judges that have a catch-and-release system.”
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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While citywide data indicates crime throughout Cincinnati has remained on par with last year’s numbers, Bowman echoed the sentiments of the police department, blaming the city’s leadership for the reason police feel unsupported while carrying out their duties.
“So many officers have come to me, and they’ve said they don’t even see a point in making arrests because the criminals are just going to be back on the streets the very next day,” Bowman said. “We have to put pressure on all the judges and prosecutors, and we have to be able to let the officers know, ‘Do your job, see your training and do your job properly, and you’re going to have all of City Hall to back you up in that circumstance.”
On Friday, a grand jury indicted the six individuals arrested in connection with the violent assault that sent shockwaves through the community.
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Patrick Rosemond, 38, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, DeKyra Vernon, 24, Dominique Kittle, 37, and Aisha Devaughn, 25, are each charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three charges of assault and two charges of aggravated rioting, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Merriweather was previously indicted just two weeks before the violent attack for allegedly receiving stolen property, weapons under disability, improper transportation of a firearm and other charges, according to the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Queen City Lodge #69.
The order also revealed that at the time of the beatdown, Merriweather was out of jail on $4,000 bond, though he only needed to post 10% – or $400 – to be released.
“This is your court system,” the FOP said in a social media post.
The association is looking to fellow leaders within Cincinnati’s government to provide further transparency surrounding bail laws as they look to keep violent offenders off the streets.
“Just as law enforcement is held to high standards and evaluated on our daily practices, we must also understand the outcomes taking place in courtrooms and who is responsible for them,” the association said. “Let us be clear: we will not allow the dedication and sacrifice of our law enforcement professionals to be rendered meaningless by systemic failures or the absence of shared responsibility.”
Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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