As law enforcement increased security measures around the University of Cincinnati, officials say the arrest of one man accused of organizing unauthorized parties has contributed to a decline in violence around campus.
In August and early September,multiple shootings were reported in the area around the campus
, prompting Cincinnati and UC police to shutdown some streets and deploy additional officers in the area.Interim CPD Chief Adam Hennie and UC police chief Eliot Isaac discussed the security efforts during Cincinnati City Council's public safety and quality of life committee on Sept. 22.
Hennie said some of the violence was driven by events organized on social media that attracted large crowds. Some of these events falsely appeared to be
organized by UC, he said, and organizers could rapidly change the location of the events on social media, making it harder for police to manage and monitor.
According to Hennie, investigators determined that 25-year-old Ronquez Benton was responsible for promoting some of those events online. Officers met with Benton and tried to convince him to stop.
"People are getting hurt," Hennie said. "There's real lives at stake here."
But Benton "did not heed the warning" and made another post the weekend after police met with him, Hennie said. Benton was arrested on UC's campus and charged with criminal trespass related to hosting an unauthorized party, court records state.
During the Sept. 11 arrest, Benton was in possession of a long gun, Hennie said, and due to prior convictions was also charged with weapons under disability and carrying concealed weapons. Benton was convicted of gross sexual imposition in 2024.
"This individual was not only putting these parties together, but also was bringing weapons to the scene which could have obviously had a horrible effect," Hennie said. "We have not seen any additional social media posts" since the arrest.
Hennie and Isaac said their departments will continue coordinating responses based on the circumstances of each incident. Isaac pointed out that UC police have doubled their deployment in the area and the university spends $1 million a year to hire off-duty Cincinnati police for additional support.
Hennie also credited the "real time crime" unit for the work of monitoring social media.
He said that arrests have been made in several recent shootings around UC. He said two of the shootings occurred during the day and were not related to social media-promoterd events.
Benton was released from the Hamilton County Justice Center after posting bond on the weapons charges on Sept. 15. He has since been indicted on those felony charges and his next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 25 in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Arrest of party organizer helped calm violence around UC, police chief says
