New UC Partnership to Boost Police Excellence in the City of Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Police Department and the University of Cincinnati’s Division of Criminal Justice have partnered in a new program designed to bring the latest advances in criminology into policing practices in Cincinnati.

The beginning of the 2008 fall academic quarter saw the startup of the Chief’s Scholars Program. The program placed three Cincinnati police officers – Lt. Bret T. Isaac, Specialist Lesa Smith and Specialist Joseph Coombs – in the University of Cincinnati’s one-year fast-track Master’s Program in Criminal Justice. In June 2009, the officers will complete the Criminal Justice Master’s Program with a concentration in Law Enforcement and Crime Prevention.

The program’s goal is to take the latest information being taught on best practices in law enforcement and bring them to the Cincinnati Police Department via the Chief’s Scholars students. These practices can then be applied to policing challenges in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati's Police Chief, Col. Thomas H. Streicher Jr., says, "One of the most profound partnerships we have developed has been with the University of Cincinnati’s Policing Institute. The University of Cincinnati’s Policing Institute is held in very high esteem across the nation and around the world. We are very fortunate to have them here. This program is designed to better prepare the future leaders of this agency to address the challenges they are going to confront in the near future and in the long term. Our belief is that they are going to be a very vital part of the command staff and the problem-solving approach we have adopted within the police department."

Ed Latessa, head of UC's Division of Criminal Justice, says, "It’s a big honor for our division to add this Chief’s Scholars Program to our roster of excellent partnerships with professional groups in our field. It is not only helpful to have some of the brightest Cincinnati Police personnel in our classes, but it also adds to the overall academic environment for our faculty and students to add the perspective they bring being current in the field of our classroom discussions. As a division, we are very excited with this opportunity."

Robin Engel, an associate professor of criminal justice and the director of UC's Policing Institute, says that the goal for the program is to help bridge the gap between what is being taught in the realm of research versus what practices are being employed in the field.

"You are seeing things move in the direction of intelligence-led policing," Engel says. "We are increasingly able to use data and information to guide policies and practices. Everything is becoming more quantitative, and that is going to help create opportunities for more creative approaches in how to reduce crime."

The three program participants for this year are:

• Lt. Bret T. Isaac, who has been with the Cincinnati Police Department since 1989. Isaac is a graduate of Forest Park High School and previously earned a Bachelor’s Degree (2006) in Organizational Leadership from Xavier University.
• Specialist Lesa Smith, who has been with the Cincinnati Police Department since 1990. Smith is a graduate of Withrow High School and previously earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2000.
• Specialist Joseph Coombs, who has been with the Cincinnati Police Department since 1999. Coombs is a graduate of Western Hills High School and previously earned both his Associate’s Degree (1989) and Bachelor’s Degree (2005) in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati.

The University of Cincinnati Criminal Justice Graduate Program is one of the most highly regarded programs in the nation. In its most recent rankings of the field, "U.S. News & World Report" ranked UC’s Criminal Justice graduate program as the overall third-best program in the country.