Local police chiefs are sounding off after viral footage of a brutal Cincinnati assault shined new light on what local leaders are saying is a consistent failure regarding violent offenders being released onto the city’s streets. 

In a statement released by the Hamilton County Association of Chiefs of Police on Aug. 8, the organization blasted local leaders for “gaps in the judicial process” within the local government. 

“It is not enough to arrest violent offenders if they are swiftly released back into our neighborhoods due to lax bail practices or insufficient sentencing,” the statement said. 

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval participates in a candidate forum with Brian Frank hosted by the Cincinnati NAACP on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster,File)

Patrick Rosemond, 38, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, DeKyra Vernon, 24, Dominique Kittle, 37, and Aisha Devaughn, 25, are each charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three charges of assault and two charges of aggravated rioting, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

Merriweather was previously indicted just two weeks before the violent attack for allegedly receiving stolen property, weapons under disability, improper transportation of a firearm and other charges, according to the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Queen City Lodge #69. 

The order also revealed that at the time of the beatdown, Merriweather was out of jail on $4,000 bond, though he only needed to post 10% – or $400 – to be released. 

“This is your court system,” the FOP said in a social media post. 

The association is looking to fellow leaders within Cincinnati’s government to provide further transparency surrounding bail laws as they look to keep violent offenders off the streets.

“Just as law enforcement is held to high standards and evaluated on our daily practices, we must also understand the outcomes taking place in courtrooms and who is responsible for them,” the association said. “Let us be clear: we will not allow the dedication and sacrifice of our law enforcement professionals to be rendered meaningless by systemic failures or the absence of shared responsibility.”

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.