Should parents be held legally responsible for their kids’ actions? City leaders weigh in

Could parents face punishment or even charges for the actions of their children in the wake of violence in Cincinnati?This week, Cincinnati’s police chief said during a news conference that holding parents accountable is a possible strategy after a recent uptick in violence.”I’m going to be exploring all options to start holding parents accountable in the near future,” Cincinnati police Chief Terri Theetge said.Theetge said she would meet with her law department to discuss ways to make it happen.”I need that tool for officers to go out and finish the work they are doing,” Theetge said. Associate attorney with Yonas and Phillabaum Connor Nelson said there are different ways to implement the initiative, including adopting it into the city’s law.”I think criminalizing the parents is going to be incredibly difficult,” Nelson said. “It’s really hard proving what the parents knew, when they knew it, what they did to stop anything and their involvement.”In Euclid, Ohio, outside of Cleveland, council passed a “Parental Responsibility Law” in December. It holds parents and guardians legally accountable for failing to supervise their kids when they commit certain crimes. It’s an idea some want to see in Cincinnati. “In the event that parents aren’t going to be knowing where their kids are, then they should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” president of the Fraternal Order of Police Queen Lodge #69, Ken Kober, said. “Ultimately, what we want is for these parents to know where their children are and what they’re doing and prevent these tragedies before they actually happen.”Not everyone is sold on the idea. “I know a lot of parents don’t have control over what kids are exposed to outside of their home,” mother, Sherri Heidelburg-Rowe, said.Heidelburg-Rowe lost both her sons to gun violence and isn’t convinced it should fall solely on the parents.”You can be the greatest parent in the world. You can teach, teach, teach, but they have too many other people speaking to them, telling them the wrong things to do,” Heidelburg-Rowe said.At Cincinnati City Hall, this method of fighting crime is still on the table.”We don’t want to penalize. We want to make sure we are reinforcing good behavior, so if that’s civil or criminal, that is something we are trying to work out,” Cincinnati council member Scotty Johnson said. “If it gets to civil or it gets to criminal, the city attorneys are going to have to work that out.”