CLEVELAND, OHIO
Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice agreed to reform the city’s police department, which has a history of using of excessive force, authorities announced today.
“Today’s agreement reflects a commitment by the city and the Division of Police to work with the Department of Justice and the Cleveland community to transform this police agency into a model of community-oriented policing that will make both police officers and the people they serve safer,” said the head of the Civil Rights Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta.
“Constitutional policing is key to building trust between police departments and the communities they serve. Today, Cleveland demonstrates to the rest of the country that people can come together across perceived differences to realize a common vision of a safer, more just city.”
The New York Times reported that the Justice Department found that police officers here used stun guns inappropriately, punched and kicked unarmed people, and shot at people who posed no threat. The incidents often went unreported and uninvestigated, investigators found, the NYT stated.
DOJ and Cleveland Agreement
The comprehensive agreement calls for the following reforms and changes:
- The creation of Community Police Commission, made up of ten representatives from across the community, and one representative each from the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Black Shield.
- Reform the use of force policies, including requirements for the use of de-escalation techniques whenever possible and appropriate, a prohibition on retaliatory force, mandatory reporting and investigation standards following use of force, and medical care for the subjects of force.
- Police will integrate bias-free policing principles into all levels of the organization, including comprehensive training of officers and supervisors, which is to be developed with community input.
- Police will create a Mental Health Response Advisory Committee and provide all officers with sufficient training to identify and appropriately respond to situations involving individuals in crisis.
- Police will develop a plan to ensure these specialized officers are always available to respond to calls related to those in mental-health crisis.
- Police will improve officer training by ensuring that it reflects the needs of officers and that it is effective.
- Police will improve equipment and resources available to officers following a comprehensive equipment and resource study to assess its current needs and priorities, including providing officers with functioning, up-to-date technology in their zone cars that allows them to access necessary information; safe zone cars; and first aid equipment.
- Police will develop a recruiting policy and strategic recruitment plan that includes clear goals, objectives and action steps for attracting qualified applicants from a broad cross-section of the community.
- Police will consult with the Community Police Commission and otherson strategies to attract a diverse pool of applicants.
Since the start of the administration, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division opened 22 investigations into police departments.
In the first five fiscal years of the administration, the department has opened more than twice as many investigations than were opened in the previous five fiscal years. The department is enforcing 16 agreements with law enforcement agencies, including eleven consent decrees, according to officials.