CINCINNATI (AP) -- Cincinnati Police Chief has issued a plea to local clergymen to help make the city a safer place.

The Cincinnati Enquirer ( http://cin.ci/PhNxDt ) reports that Craig met this week with a group of ministers, bishops and other clergy. He asked them to get more involved in existing programs to help reduce violence and increase opportunities for low-income youth and ex-offenders coming back to the area.

Craig shared details of programs he'd been involved in during his law enforcement career in Los Angeles, Detroit and Portland, Maine, that paired police and pastors.

Craig said that "if you want to get out a message, it's best through the clergy."

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Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com