Trying to project a better image to Ujima visitors, the Cincinnati Police Division printed new welcome brochures for this weekend and urged its officers to be courteous and helpful to festival goers.

        “It's kind of a welcome-to-the-city kind of thing,” Chief Tom Streicher said.

        The brochures, available at various places around the Coors Light Jazz Festival and Ujima Cinci-Bration, offer safety and other tips. Among them: Don't leave valuables visible in your car; drinking alcohol in public is illegal; and “if an officer approaches you, remember that he or she is concerned about your safety and the protection of your property.”

        The reputation of the 1,020- person force has taken a beating since the April 7 shooting of Timothy Thomas, an unarmed black man who ran from officers. The shooting prompted protests and rioting April 9-12 that attracted national and international media attention.

        “Positive messages are the only thing that's going to help right now,” Chief Streicher said. “This is a positive message.”

        Lt. Kurt Byrd, a police spokesman, said the division has made a conscious decision to keep a relatively low profile amid the throng of visitors expected this weekend. Officers working the detail were encouraged “to be extra courteous and extra friendly,” Lt. Byrd said.

        But police will be vigilant about observing the city's curfews.

        Anyone 15 or younger must be in by 10 p.m., but teens ages 16 and 17 can stay out until midnight. After midnight, they must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.

        In previous Ujima fests, officers arrested hundreds of teens for curfew violations, a point of criticism for some who say police are tougher on Ujima and Jazz Fest patrons than on people attending other downtown festivals.

        Lt. Byrd would not say how many officers will be on duty this time, but said “there are no more officers here than at any other event this size.”

        Lt. Byrd said police have contingency plans in place. If disruptions occur, they will pull officers and patrol cars from other districts.

        “But we don't anticipate any trouble,” he said.

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