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Cincinnati police say drones, cameras and social‑media monitoring helped stop March street takeover; 61 arrests and 58 vehicles towed
Summary
Chief Adam Henney told the council committee that CPD used drones, about 400 cameras and social‑media monitoring to disrupt a March street takeover; the department reported 45 initial arrests, 16 more later (61 total), 58 vehicles towed and one firearm recovered. Henney said investigations and court processing are ongoing.
Chief Adam Henney of the Cincinnati Police Department told the Public Safety and Quality of Life Committee that CPD used drone footage, a network of cameras and social‑media monitoring to disrupt a March street takeover that brought hundreds of vehicles into multiple neighborhoods.
Henney said CPD initially made 45 arrests at the scene, and investigators later made 16 additional arrests, bringing the reported total to 61. The department removed 58 vehicles from the scene and recovered one firearm. Henney credited city resources and coordination — including a crime center now operating 24/7, the use of drones that cover roughly 90% of the city and close to 400 cameras — for the response and said officers prioritized safety when making arrests.
"We waited until they made a mistake," Henney told the committee, describing how officers used aerial and camera feeds to gather intelligence and then deploy officers and stop‑sticks. He described damage to city streets visible in infrared imagery and said cleanup and towing required hours of work and substantial city resources.
Committee members asked for more detail about who came into Cincinnati for the takeover and about vehicle modifications. Henney said only nine of the involved vehicles were registered in the city and that many came from the Columbus area; he offered to provide a full breakdown of registrations and ages of arrestees after the meeting. He confirmed officers encountered vehicles with license‑plate obfuscation and said the department would consider additional charges where warranted.
Committee members praised CPD’s balance of enforcement and safety. Vice Mayor Jan Michelle Kearney and others noted a recent change in Ohio law cited during the presentation (referred to in the meeting as a revised provision commonly discussed as "45 11" or similar variants) that makes assisting or facilitating such events subject to criminal charges. The department said it has used the revised charge previously but not frequently.
Henney urged residents not to be spectators: "Do not be a participant. Do not engage. Do not get out of your car. I would strongly recommend to leave the area and call 911," he said.
Henney and other CPD representatives told the committee they would continue to monitor court proceedings; the department and the law department will track prosecutions and report outcomes to council as cases progress.
The committee did not take formal action on the presentation itself; Henney said more follow‑up data (including full age breakdowns and registration origins) would be provided to council staff.
