The City of Cincinnati is no stranger to acronyms, and we know they can get confusing. When it comes to important topics like Community Problem-Oriented Policing, it’s worth breaking them down. Over the past few years, ACT for Cincy, the City’s blueprint for violence reduction, has guided efforts to make neighborhoods safer and more vibrant through community well-being initiatives, reducing access to firearms, and implementing targeted policing innovations. Let’s take a closer look at the policing innovations pillar by breaking down some of the key acronyms you may encounter as we continue raising awareness on this topic.

ACT for Cincy - Achieving Change Together in Cincinnati
ACT for Cincy builds on a public health approach to violence prevention, focusing on addressing the root causes of violence through proactive strategies.

CPOP - Community Problem-Oriented Policing
A policing strategy that seeks resolution of troublesome circumstances, framed as problems to solve. Problems are carefully analyzed, and a wide variety of solutions are considered, often involving non-Police agencies as partners.

SARA - Scanning, Analyzing, Responding, Assessing
A strategic and data-informed process that helps us better understand why problems repeat.

PIVOT - Place Based Investigations of Violent Offender Territories
A focus on small places where violence is chronic and sustained, and a framework that designs solutions tailored to those spaces’ needs.

By understanding these acronyms, we hope the strategies behind Cincinnati’s Community Problem-Oriented Policing become clearer. From ACT for Cincy’s citywide blueprint to strategies like CPOP, SARA, and PIVOT, each approach plays a role in making neighborhoods safer and stronger. Violence reduction work is a team effort and can only be done when the City, partners and community is all involved. Interested in joining a problem-solving project? Click here.