In a report released this week, the Community Police Commission called for increased oversight of stops by Cleveland police officers.
The nearly hundred page report includes a long list of suggested changes. Near the top of the list: Cleveland police shouldn’t stop people based on factors such as race, age, gender, geographic location and economic status.
Lee Fisher is chair of the commission’s Bias-Free Policing Work Group. He says seven out of the eleven commissioners supported the full list of recommendations and it’s a first step toward reform.
"But I think, in the end, it’s going to come down to whether or not the federal court believes the Cleveland police department is properly implementing the recommendations made by us and by the Monitor," says Fisher, who added that the police department may have new policies to combat bias by the end of the year.
The commission also recommended stronger reporting requirements after stops, changes to the way officers are assigned patrols and an easier system for citizen complaints. The commission was created as part of the consent decree between Cleveland and the Justice Department.