colerain police department

COLERAIN POLICE DEPARTMENT

2020 ANNUAL REPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY

Colerain Police Department 2020 Annual Report

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Mission Statement

The Mission of the Colerain Police Department, an

internationally accredited law enforcement agency, is to enhance

the quality of life among our diverse population and provide an

atmosphere of safety and security for our residents and visitors

through a community policing partnership.


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www.colerain.org @colerainpolice facebook.com/colerainpolice CERKL

59,169 Residents

Colerain Police Department 4200 Springdale Road

Colerain Township, Ohio 45251

How to Reach Us Emergencies: Dial 911

Non-Emergencies: 513-321-COPS

(2677)

56 Approved Sworn Police Officers

43 Square Miles in our service area

http://www.colerain.org/

https://twitter.com/Colerainpolice

https://www.facebook.com/ColerainPolice

https://www.cerkl.com/


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LEADERSHIP A Message from Chief Mark C. Denney

To say 2020 was a challenging year would be a significant

understatement. All of our lives have been impacted by the

pandemic and the changes that came as a result. The Police

Department was tasked with providing all of our necessary

services while also focusing on keeping our officers and

citizens healthy.

Success came from innovative thinking and a willingness to

try new ways to do things. Online and telephone reporting

became important tools as did partnerships with local

businesses.

Donations of hand sanitizer, gloves and masks flooded the Police Department, given by residents and

businesses. We scaled back on some proactive policing measures to make sure we had officers available

for our residents’ needs. Our role in the community became more important than ever and our officers

answered that call.

Even in the midst of this uncertain time, we met many of our organizational goals. Allowing the pandemic

to put a stop to our progress was not an option. Mental health, de-escalation and self-defense training

were priorities for the Police Department in 2020.

Amidst the pandemic, another significant challenge faced policing in 2020. Community /police relations

became a focus across the nation after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. Calls for police

reform, better training and more transparency were voiced from every corner of the country. As the Chief

of Police, I was asked, “what are you doing to make sure we are a progressive police agency?”

Proudly, I was able to provide a detailed response to that question. For the past 15 years, the Colerain

Police Department has been an internationally accredited police department through the Commission on

Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. This accrediting body is now recognized by the Department

of Justice as an approved assessor for President Trumps’ Federal Funding Certification requirements. Any

agency wishing to use federal funds must comply with certain police reforms. As a member of CALEA, we

have been in compliance since 2005.

Your police department has very detailed processes and policies that address civilian complaints, uses of

force, training, officer supervision and auditing. A review of not only the federal standards, but of those

voiced by civil rights advocates shows that we already comply with these demands for change.

Can we do better? The moment the Chief of Police answers “no” to that question, it is time for a new

chief. We can, and will, continue to improve. We constantly look for the next “best practice” and look

ahead for changes in policing, and in the expectations our community has for us. We want to keep

earning the support you show us every day.


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Patrol Commander Christopher A. Phillips

The officers assigned to the Patrol Division are the most

visible component of the police department and

include not only the officers assigned to work patrol

beats and their supervisors, but also the K9 and Traffic

units.

These are the officers who must be available to

respond every time someone calls the police regardless

of the nature of the call. This commitment was made

even more challenging by the effects of the 2020

pandemic as the police department made adjustments

to continue providing uninterrupted service while

keeping not only the officers safe and healthy, but also those who they serve.

The officers assigned to patrol remained flexible and adapted to the situation with amazing resiliency

and professionalism as they worked through modified response protocols, alternative reporting

procedures, reduced contact practices, and three different schedules (with the assistance of officers

from the Investigative and Administrative Divisions) throughout the year.

Regardless of what challenge was presented, they adapted and continued to proudly provide

exceptional service to the community. I am honored to lead such a group of true professionals and have

thanked them several times this year, but would also like to take advantage of the opportunity to

publicly recognize their sacrifices, professionalism, and commitment to serving the residents and visitors

of Colerain Township.


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Investigative Division Commander Michael S. Owens

The Investigative Division consists of eleven detectives,

one sergeant, and one Commander. Like the other

divisions within the police department, the investigative

division was impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic. At

the beginning of the pandemic, the department

transitioned to its COVID 19 alternative scheduling. This

involved each detective being assigned to a patrol

squad to assist with the needs of the department.

In June of 2020, the police department transitioned

back into normal operational mode. The investigative

unit began to work diligently on following up with the heavy caseload that accumulated during the

alternative COVID scheduling. The detectives worked extremely hard to achieve an over ninety-percent

closure rating on their assigned cases.

The efforts of the investigative division were recognized by the Colerain Township Trustees in the form

of a commendation during the November Board of Trustees meeting. Specifically, they were recognized

for the August murder Investigation that occurred on Airy Meadows Dr. The investigation took two of

the detectives to Las Vegas, Nevada to apprehend and charge two suspects with murder.

The investigative unit also has detectives assigned to drug investigative task forces. One is assigned to

the United States Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force. The other is assigned to the Regional

Drug Abuse Reduction Task Force. Joining these taskforces and addressing the trends in narcotics

investigations allow thorough and complete drug investigations throughout Colerain Township. Colerain

Township also receives a portion of the forfeited funds to supplement department needs.

New to the investigative unit in 2020 was the implementation of the Retail Theft Investigator. The goal

of this investigator is to address the theft offenses occurring at the major retailers in Colerain Township.

A deeper look into the calls for service regarding theft along the Colerain Avenue proved to be a large

drain on the Services of the Police Department. To address this problem the department has assigned

an investigator to partner with the larger retailers to alter the way the department investigates and

enforces the theft violations in the township.


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Support Services Commander Edwin C. Cordie III

In a year like no other, the Support Services Division

focused on the essential operational work of the

department. We worked alongside one another to keep

the department running behind the scenes and keeping

our officers healthy. As a primary goal of securing

personal protection equipment (PPE) for the members of

the department, we were able to obtain hand sanitizer,

gloves and masks to continue to provide for the law

enforcement needs of the community. A special thanks

to the community members and businesses that assisted

in this goal by donating to our PPE needs.

As part of the Support Services Division, the School Safety Section prides themselves in providing

innovative solutions by anticipating the future needs of our schools and ensuring a safe environment for

the students and teachers of the Northwest Local School District (NWLSD). This year we have achieved

this by instructing all teachers and students of NWLSD the Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and

Evacuate (ALICE) program, an active shooter and preparedness-training course. Our School Safety

Sergeant, Dean Doerflein developed, in conjunction with NWLSD, temporary door-locking devices, which

will be installed to ensure classroom safety in the event of an intruder. We have completed our second

year working with Hamilton County Juvenile Court to provide a diversionary program that helps keep

juveniles out of the criminal justice system. This program not only handles first time criminal offenders

but also provides intervention in an attempt to direct juveniles in the right direction and provide families

with much needed assistance.

The Administrative section of the Support Services Division includes the civilian staff of the department.

This section, led by Sergeant Jamie Penley, focuses on the logistics for the department (supply ordering,

equipment, fleet), providing public records, entry of records and answering 321-COPS calls. This group

has handled over 38,000 contacts with the public, has dispatched nearly 4,000 calls for service, and has

entered approximately 28,000 pieces of data into our multiple records systems. This group has assisted

with the release of roughly 900 impounded vehicles and has facilitated 150 repair service requests for

the Police Department’s fleet.

The Support Services Division also handles the Community Policing function for the department. 2020

was hard on the Community Policing Unit, forcing multiple functions to be cancelled. Yet, we were able

to still complete the third annual Shop with a Cop program. This program and many more hope to come

back to the community in the year 2021.


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Supervision

Patrol OIC Patrol OIC Patrol OIC

Nicole Dennis Jake McElvogue Zach Meyer

Investigative Sergeant Administrative Sergeant Patrol Sergeant

Scott Owen Jamie Penley Justin Hussel

Patrol Sergeant Patrol Sergeant Patrol Sergeant

Kyle Frandoni Eric Renner Dustin Weekley

Support Services Sergeant Investigative OIC Patrol OIC

Dean Doerflein Joe Hendricks Andre Jones


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Fleet and Finances

49 Vehicles including

marked patrol and

unmarked/covert.

Based on 2020 appropriations


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Personnel

56 Fulltime Officers*

9 Support Staff

2 Non-Sworn School Safety

Average Age of Officer: 33 Years Old

Total Number of Officers Under 30: 19

*Approved Strength

More Than 10 Years of Service




14 10 4 4


10


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2020’s New Officers

Alex Fantaci

Benjamin Gifford

Jeremiah Fernbaugh

Alisha Werdman


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Workload

41,080 Calls for Service in 2020

113 calls per Day

8 Minute Average Response Time

10-15 Detective Calls-Outs per Month*

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

5,740 5,893 5,475 5,783 5,877 6,003 6,309 13.9% 14.3% 13.3% 14.3% 14.3% 14.6% 15.3%


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Statistics In Hamilton County, the Colerain Police Department is the busiest police agency except for the Cincinnati Police

Department. Colerain is roughly 45 square miles and serves a diverse population of nearly 60,000.

Annually, our officers respond to 40,000-50,000 calls for service, make approximately 2,000 physical arrests and take

upwards of 10,000 incident reports.

Crime 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Change from

2019

Homicide 3 2 1 2 1 3 +200%

Rape 20 22 16 25 11 8 -27%

Robbery 68 78 52 40 41 20 -51%

Aggravated Assault 37 39 54 39 28 25 10%

Burglary/B&E 308 363 260 236 141 141 -

Theft 1,828 1,856 1,464 1,269 1,222 941 -23%

Auto Theft 47 66 85 84 51 34 -33%

Violent Crime 128 141 123 106 81 56 -30%

Property Crime 2,183 2,273 1,809 1,589 1,495 1,116 -21%

Total Crime 2,311 2,414 1,932 1,695 1,576 1,172 -26%

Violent Crime4.7%

Property Crime95.3%

2020Violent Crime5.1%

Property Crime94.9%

2019

Colerain

City of Cincinnati

OhioSuburbs 25,000 - 50,000

50,000+ CommunitiesMidwestUnited States

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

PropertyViolent

Property and Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents


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Category 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Calls for Service 50,954 48,092 50,816 47,778 42,826 44,907 41,080

Traffic Stops 3,034 2,570 3,509 4,486 3,483 3,765 1,637

Citations 2,808 2,546 2,792 2,771 2,351 2,804 1,356

Warnings 360 210 256 343 684 838 281

Crashes 1,885 1,945 2,770 2,362 2,461 2,858 2,259

Arrests 2,854 2,314 2,749 3,163 2,679 2,516 1,199

Citizen Contacts 66,105 62,624 60,122 56,808 51,499 54,122 48,434

Pursuits 9 5 16 24 11 11 21

Uses of Force 10 7 11 22 25 19 29

Displays of Force NR NR NR NR NR 125 79

Officer Crashes 13 16 11 12 15 17 9

*Not all inclusive

Support Staff 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Hours Worked 9,403 8,740 9,911 12,440 13,000

Calls Answered 31,439 29,982 31,005 31,159 30,368

Assisted at Window 4,527 4,995 5,274 5,847

3,196

Crashes6%

Abandoned Vehicles

2%

Vacation Checks

8%

Business Checks

16%

Self Initiated Investigation

31%

Directed Patrol8%

Parking Complaints

11%

Domestics18%

Types of Calls


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Year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total Number of Pursuits 9 5 16 24 11 11 21

Reason for Pursuit Initiation:

Traffic Violations 4 2 3 9 5 6 8

Felony Offenses 3 1 7 10 2 5 6

Misdemeanor Offenses 2 2 3 5 3 0 5

Assisting Other Agencies 0 0 3 1 1 0 2

Pursuits Resulting In:

Accidents 4 2 5 8 4 3 3

Apprehension of the Violator 7 3 9 21 7 6 14

Pursuit without Apprehension 2 2 2 3 2 5 7

Called-Off by Officer 2 2 2 3 2 5 7

Injuries to Other Motorists/Pedestrians 0 0 0 1 2 0 0

Time Pursued

0-5 Minutes 3 0 10 17 10 8 15

6-10 Minutes 4 2 4 3 0 1 5

11-20 Minutes 2 3 1 3 1 2 1

More Than 20 Minutes 0 0 1 1 0 0 0

Time of Day

0700-1859hrs 7 4 6 10 2 2 11

1900-0659hrs 2 1 10 14 9 9 10

Speeds Reached

20-50mph 4 2 4 10 5 4 7

51-80mph 5 0 10 7 3 4 10

Over 80mph 0 3 2 7 3 3 4

Stop Sticks Deployed 0 0 0 0 0 0 3


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2020 Uses of Force Year 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Use of Force Incidents 10 8 11 11 25 19 29

Type of Force Used

OC Spray 3 2 7 16 19 5 6

Strike/Takedown/Other 6 6 4 7 5 4 9

Taser 0 0 0 0 1 10 11

Firearm 1 0 0 1 0 0 1

K9 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

Uses vs. Arrests

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Uses Arrests

Year Uses of Force Arrests White African American Hispanic Other Male Female

2014 10 2,854 70% 30% 0% 0% 90% 10%

2015 8 2,314 57% 43% 0% 0% 86% 14%

2016 11 2,749 73% 27% 0% 0% 73% 27%

2017 24 3,163 59% 41% 0% 0% 62% 38%

2018 25 2,679 56% 40% 4% 0% 76% 24%

2019 19 2,516 63% 32% 5% 0% 79% 21%

2020 29 1,199 59% 31% 0% 10% 83% 17%

Year % of Arrests Where Force Used

2014 .4%

2015 .3

2016 .4

2017 .8

2018 .9

2019 .8

2020 2.4%


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2020 Uses of Force Total Number of Incidents 29

Officers Involved in More Than One Incident 4

Force Used:

OC 6

Taser 11

Firearm 1

Non-Weapon 9

K9 2

Initial Contact:

Call for Service 17

Investigation 5

Domestic Violence 7

Contributing Factor

Alcohol/Drugs 13

Mental Illness 4

None/Unknown 12

Time of Occurrence

0700-1859hrs 6

1900-0659hrs 23

Month of Incident

January 3

February 1

March 5

April 3

May 1

June 1

July 1

August 6

September 1

October 0

November 4

December 3

Day of Incident

Monday 0

Tuesday 4

Wednesday 2

Thursday 7

Friday 2

Saturday 5

Sunday 9


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Personnel

Complaints

Outcome of Citizen Complaint Internal External

Sustained 3 0

Sustained-Other 0 0

Unfounded 0 1

Exonerated 0 1

Uncooperative Witness/Complainant 0 0

Not Sustained 1 0

Withdrawn by Complainant 0 0

Discipline

Discipline Officers

ESL Entry 0

Official Reprimand 0

Counseling (EAP) 0

Training 0

Demotion 0

Probation Extension 0

Resignation in Lieu 0

Termination 0

Suspension 2

Abeyance 0

Re-Assignment 0

Grievances (all types) 1

Awards Chief’s Commendation 16

Life Saving Award 0

Meritorious Service 0

Conduct Deserving of Recognition 450


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Budget Year Appropriated Revenue Actual Spent Difference

(Appropriated/Spent)

Difference

(Revenue/Spent)

2014 $6,398,334 $5,959,021 $6,258,504 $139,830 $299,483

2015 $6,928,484 $8,499,053 $6,695,000 $233,484 $1,804,053

2016 $7,483,428 $7,966,144 $7,098,729 $384,699 $867,415

2017 $7,748,023 $8,101,555 $7,169,678 $578,345 $931,877

2018 $7,915,500 $8,351,240 $7,543,287 $354,180 $807,953

2019 $8,532,012 $8,573,654 $8,255,318 $276,694 $318,336

2020* $8,753,725 $7,804,707 $6,814,602 $1,939,123** $990,105

*As of 12/31/20 Overspent Underspent ** Department received CARES funds to assist with salaries

Revenue

Source Amount Percentage

Property Taxes $6,476,402 83%

Raised from Other Sources (no taxes) $1,328,305 17%

Property Taxes, $6,476,403

Drug Seizures, $160,123

Contracts, $795,282Fines and Fees,

$212,703


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Partnerships Colerain Township is Ohio’s second largest Township, covering 45 square miles and serving 60,000 residents. The

daytime population of Colerain Township is nearly 200,000.

In order to provide adequate service to the residents and businesses in Colerain Township, it is vital to have

partnerships. Those partnerships include not only other local governments, but businesses and social service agencies

as well.

This has always been an area where the Colerain Police Department excels. These partnerships provide service, and in

some cases, financial support, that allows us to force-multiply without costing our residents more money. Below are

some of our important partnerships.

Northwest Local School District: In addition to a significant revenue stream for the Township, this relationship provides

an opportunity for our officers to forge meaningful and lasting relationships with our local youth. Many of these kids

have negative views of law enforcement, but those change once they see the person behind the badge. Our officers

provide service to the District’s 13 buildings and nearly 9,000 students.

Northgate Mall: While not the bustling meeting place for our Township residents that it once was, the Mall still stands as

an important landmark in Colerain Township. It sits in the heart of Colerain and is still a destination for people across

the region. Our ability to provide police presence at the Mall is a great way to represent our Township while also

providing revenue to the Police Department.

YWCA: This partnership also provides significant financial gains from a federal grant while offering groundbreaking

service to our residents. The YWCA partnership provides our officers a resource to help serve survivors of domestic

violence. Domestic abuse counselors are available to our officers 24/7 and offer follow-up services to those in need.

DEA: Colerain Police has assigned one detective to the DEA strike force for several years. This position assists in large-

scale drug investigations as well as intercepting large shipments of cash and illegal drugs into the area, much of it

destined for Colerain Township. DEA agents also are ready to assist Colerain officers whenever the need arises. In

exchange for this investment, the Colerain Police Department receives several hundreds of thousands of dollars annually

in seizure funds. This allows us to make many purchases and not impact the operating budget.

Walmart: Much like the Mall, Walmart has invested in having a police officer on site seven hours each day. While not

only reducing crime, this provides a revenue stream and an ability to be visible to our residents.

Hamilton County Juvenile Court: The Police Department now has diversion court to assist us with juvenile crime in the

Township. Also, the Driving Angels Teen Driving Program, created in Colerain Township in 2009, is now a county-wide

diversion program. Diversion court is held weekly in the Trustee’s Chambers.


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DART: Like the DEA partnership, DART is the Township’s response to drug issues occurring in our neighborhoods.

DART is a multi-jurisdictional drug unit comprised of officers from many local police departments. Colerain has one

agent on the team.

Hamilton County Police Association SWAT: Colerain Police have one member assigned to the HCPA SWAT Team. Our

membership allows us full use of this team should we need to activate them within Colerain Township.

Hamilton County Police Association Mobile Field Force: Created by the Colerain Police Department, this countywide civil

disturbance response team is nearly 100 officers strong. They train and are prepared to respond to any member

community if civil disturbance breaks out.

Cincinnati Police Department Traffic Section: On several occasions, the Colerain Police Department has partnered with

the CPD Traffic Unit to handle crashes. Most recently, the death of Colerain Police Officer Dale Woods was investigated

by this professional team. We continue to work closely with them.

Cincinnati Police Department K9 Team: This team has assisted us in the selection and training of two handlers over the

past few years. Our K9 teams train with Cincinnati PD weekly.

Colerain Police and Fire QRT: A source of tremendous pride for us is the partnership with our Fire Department in the

Quick Response Team. This revolutionary initiative changed the way many communities across the country deal with the

opiate epidemic.

United Stated Marshal Service: The Colerain Police Department has several part-time members of the US Marshal’s

Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST). This group hunts down dangerous felons wanted for crimes of violence.


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Emergency: 911

Colerain Police Department: 513-321-2677

Hamilton County Communications Non-Emergency: 513-825-2280

Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS Headquarters: 513-825-6143

Station 25: 513-825-6143

Station 26: 513-741-7551

Station 102: 513-245-5450

Station 103: 513-245-5444

Station 109: 513-674-2490

Fire Inspections: 513-245-6505

Township Administration: 513-385-7500

Public Services: 513-385-7502

Community Center: 513-923-5050

Planning and Zoning: 513-385-7505

Code Enforcement: 513-385-2633

Colerain Township Elected Officials: 513-385-7500


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