Connect with us

Politics

Community Policing at Center of Cleveland Police Reform Plan

Published

on

In this May 23, 2015, file photo, riot police stand in formation as a protest forms against the acquittal of Michael Brelo, a patrolman charged in the shooting deaths of two unarmed suspects in Cleveland. The city of Cleveland has reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over a pattern of excessive force and civil rights violations by its police department, and the agreement could be announced as soon as Tuesday, May 26, 2015, a senior federal law enforcement official said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

In this May 23, 2015, file photo, riot police stand in formation as a protest forms against the acquittal of Michael Brelo, a patrolman charged in the shooting deaths of two unarmed suspects in Cleveland. The city of Cleveland has reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over a pattern of excessive force and civil rights violations by its police department, and the agreement could be announced as soon as Tuesday, May 26, 2015, a senior federal law enforcement official said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

MARK GILLISPIE, Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — The centerpiece of an agreement between the city of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice on how to reform the city’s troubled police department is creating an organization that is more accountable and engaged with the people it serves.

Community policing, improved training and policies concerning the use of force and more sensitivity in dealing with the mentally ill are key elements in the 105-page agreement filed Tuesday in federal court. A judge must now approve the settlement as well as the city’s selection of an independent monitor who will oversee reforms.

The agreement calls for the creation of a community police commission consisting of 10 residents and three police union officials that will make recommendations on practices aimed at making policing free of bias, accountable and transparent. There is an expansive list of items in the settlement aimed at easing longstanding tensions between police and residents, especially in the black community, which makes up more than half of Cleveland’s population.

Mayor Frank Jackson said at the news conference announcing the settlement on Tuesday that the Cleveland police department has an opportunity to become a positive example for the rest of the country.

“As we move forward, it is my strong belief that as other cities across this country address and look at their police issues in their communities, they will be able to say, ‘Let’s look at Cleveland because Cleveland has done it right,'” Jackson said.

The Justice Department in December issued a scathing report accusing Cleveland police of using excessive force and violating people’s civil rights. The worst examples in the report involved officers endangering lives by shooting at suspects and cars, hitting people over the head with guns and using stun guns on handcuffed suspects.

The agreement was announced just three days after a white Cleveland patrolman was acquitted of manslaughter for his role in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire that killed two unarmed black suspects in 2012.

The city is still awaiting decisions on whether officers will be prosecuted in the deaths of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black boy killed by a white rookie officer while playing with what turned out to be a pellet gun, and 37-year-old Tanisha Anderson, a mentally ill black woman who suffocated after officers put her on the ground and handcuffed her. Both deaths occurred eight days apart in November.

U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach said Tuesday that reforms “will help ensure the many brave men and women of the Cleveland Division of Police can do their jobs not only constitutionally, but also more safely and effectively.”

Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, said he and the union’s attorneys are studying the agreement.

“I’m hopeful it has reached some good conclusions,” Loomis said. “But the devil is always in the details for these kinds of things.”

Michael Nelson, co-chairman of the Cleveland NAACP’s Legal Redress and Criminal Justice Committee, said it is important that there be “bona fide community participation” on the community police commission, people independent of city officials and agencies. Also, he said the agreement should acknowledge that race has been an issue in Cleveland policing and that such bias must be combated.

The Justice Department has launched broad investigations into the practices of more than 20 police departments in the past five years, including agencies in Ferguson, Missouri, and, most recently, in Baltimore. Both cities were convulsed by rioting and looting in recent months over the police-involved deaths of black men.

Then U.S. Attorney Eric Holder said in December that the Justice Department had intervened in 15 police departments in the country, including eight that are operating under court-ordered consent decrees.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

Published

on

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Continue Reading

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

on

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Continue Reading

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 18 – 24, 2026

Published

on

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

COMMENTARY: Women of Color Shape Our Past and Future

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

Woman’s Search for Family’s Roots Leads to Ancestor John T. Ward – A Successful Entrepreneur and Conductor on the Underground Railroad

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

Advocates Raise Alarm Over ICE Operation, MOU and Detention Risks in Baltimore County

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

Pete Buttigieg to Join Mayor Randall Woodfin for Community Town Hall in Birmingham

#NNPA BlackPress2 days ago

WATCH: Week One – NNPA’s “Leadership Matters” Video Series

Activism5 days ago

Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

#NNPA BlackPress5 days ago

OP-ED: NNPA Launches 2026 “Leadership Matters” Video Series

#NNPA BlackPress5 days ago

PRESS ROOM: PMG and Cranbrook Horizons-Upward Bound Launch Journey Fellowship Cohort 2

#NNPA BlackPress6 days ago

Los Angeles Summit Brings Together Leaders to Tackle Poverty and Affordability

#NNPA BlackPress6 days ago

Civil Rights TV Launches 24/7 Network Focused on Black History, Education and Equity

#NNPA BlackPress6 days ago

REVIEW: The Ultimate Hot Girl Summer Getaway: Sunseeker Resort Florida

#NNPA BlackPress6 days ago

COMMENTARY: How You Stop a Prescription Medicine is as Important as How You Start 

#NNPA BlackPress1 week ago

PRESS ROOM: From Congress to Corporate America: NNPA Spotlights Visionaries in New Video Series

#NNPA BlackPress1 week ago

Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

Activism2 weeks ago

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

Trending

Copyright ©2021 Post News Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.