Details on the crucial first step in the overhaul of the Cleveland Police Department will be submitted to a federal judge today.
WKSU’s M.L. Schultze says the emphasis will be on use of force and training.
The plan is a first step toward implementing an agreement between the city of Cleveland and the U.S. Justice Department to address problems with training, use-of-force and community-police relations.
If federal Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. OK’s it – as expected – the focus the first year will include training the entire police department on a new use-of-force policy.
Matthew Barge is the federal monitor overseeing the consent decree. He says the goals for the first year of the five-year agreement are ambitious, and some important reforms will have to be held over for next year.
“Things related to stops of vehicles and people, a lot of stuff related to data systems for implementing a system to identify problematic performance trends among officers," said Barge. "Those are all things that are going to take time No. 1 and No. 2, there’s just not the band width in that plan to get to. It’s a very aggressive plant’s a very aggressive plan.”
Barge says one of the concerns is keeping the all-volunteer Community Police Commission established by the agreement from being overwhelmed by the task.
