When Cincinnati incorporated as a village in 1802, a ‘night watch’ was established, primarily to guard against fire, but also to ensure the peace.

[2] The department adopted the Smith & Wesson Model 5906 9mm handgun based on a recommendation made in 1987, following a request to the director of public safety by the Fraternal Order of Police President.

He claimed that police illegally ordered him out of his car, handcuffed him and held a gun to his head during a routine traffic stop.

[8] Unlike previous cases, there was a shift to introduce a policy and procedure change in CPD behavior.

Early in the morning hours, after Owensby's death, Jeffery Irons, another black male, was killed after taking a sergeant's gun and shooting another officer.

[10] On April 18, 2011, musician David Hebert was shot by police sergeant Andrew Mitchell following a report of an aggravated burglary with a sword.

The department's Firearms Discharge Review Board as well as The Cincinnati Enquirer found that the officers had violated procedure and training by failing to communicate or plan when they came dangerously close to Hebert.

Hebert was complying with another officer's orders to stand, step towards him, and produce a knife when he was fatally shot by Mitchell, who admitted he was not listening to those commands, and so saw compliance as a threat.

[11] Controversy in the ongoing legal case later surrounded Mitchell when it was revealed that he had previously been involved with a lawsuit involving the use of a taser on a teenage boy in 2008, and a drunk driving coverup scandal while a federal civil rights lawsuit was still pending against him in the Hebert case.

[16] In June 2019, Captain Michael Savard, a thirty-year veteran with the Department was arrested on federal corruption charges.

[17] One notable debacle occurred with the arrest of Spring Grove residents Hannah and Lexi Wilkins, the latter of whom is diabetic.

Lexi started to have a diabetic attack, and asked a police officer if she could get insulin from her bag, which she left in the car.

The attack worsened until she was hyperventilating and losing consciousness, during which the police handcuffed her arms behind her back and forced her to stand.