Cleveland entered into a Consent Decree with the Department of Justice in 2015. The decree mandated changes in the city’s police department after an investigation found that the Cleveland Division of Police engaged in a pattern of excessive force. The decree lays out a number of reforms for police including changes in use of force policy, bias-free policing, more diversity in recruitment and hiring and increased transparency and accountability.
The Consent Decree grew out of a two-year investigation launched by the Department of Justice after requests from the City of Cleveland and concerned citizens. Those requests were prompted by the 2012 police chase which ended in the deaths of unarmed citizens -- Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams -- in a barrage of 137 bullets.
The DOJ investigation found that the Cleveland Division of Police engaged in a pattern and practice of excessive force in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The Consent Decree and its reforms seek to restore trust between the community and the Cleveland Division of Police and protect citizens’ Constitutional rights.
The initial agreement called for a 5-year plan of reform but there is more work left to do so the Consent Decree will be extended.
This month a panel discusses how the Cleveland Division of Police interacts with young people, and how they are working to improve those relations.
- Gabriella Celeste, Schubert Center for Child Studies, Case Western Reserve University
- Zri Hitchcock, Cuyahoga Community College
- Officer Brandon Tisdale, Cuyahoga Community College
- Timothy Tramble, Cleveland Police Monitoring Team
- Chief Calvin Williams, The Cleveland Division of Police
