🌊 The Rules that Let Patrick Heringer Die

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Good morning, Roca Nation.

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By Max Frost

Yesterday, we featured the tragic story of Patrick Heringer, who was murdered in his own Cincinnati home, allegedly by a man who spent 19 of the last 20 years in prison.

Since that fateful day, Patrick’s widow Sarah has been fighting to ensure no other Cincinnatian suffers the same fate. In doing so, she has uncovered one glitch in the system after another. 

Take this one: If a released felon checks in with their parole officer, they are given candy bars, snacks, and even Cincinnati Reds tickets. 

Or this: Felons out on parole complete their own risk assessments. If they know the right answers, they can fill out the survey, be awarded “level 1” risk, and never be checked in on. 

Today, we look at the peculiarities of an American city’s criminal justice system, how Patrick’s alleged murderer took advantage of them, and how Sarah is trying to pick up the pieces.

In the wake of Patrick’s murder, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval (D) said that “public safety is and will always be our first, second, and third priority…We will never stop working to ensure every neighborhood, and every family, can feel safe and at peace.”

But Sarah wants answers: “You keep saying that [public safety] is 80% of the budget; that it’s your number one priority. But there’s zero transparency around how that money is spent, what you’re doing, and what your metrics are for success.”

A prime example, Sarah says, is the ACT Initiative – what the city calls “a holistic approach to gun violence.”

Editor’s Note

Thanks for reading this important and incredibly tragic story. Our hearts go out to Sarah. How can we make American cities safer, so that no one else has to face a similar tragedy? Let us know your thoughts by replying here.

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Thanks, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
—Max and Max