City of Cleveland officials described progress toward completion of the police consent decree as 鈥渧ery durable鈥� but 鈥渢he work is never done鈥� during a Friday appearance at the City Club of Cleveland. This year, several assessments by the monitor appointed by a federal judge will provide a clearer picture of that progress.
Chief of Police Annie Todd and the head of Mayor Justin Bibb鈥檚 Police Accountability Team, Leigh Anderson, appeared at a forum titled 鈥�10 Years of Cleveland鈥檚 Consent Decree鈥� moderated by 海角破解版鈥檚 Abbey Marshall.
Cleveland entered into the consent decree in 2015 following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice that found a pattern of excessive force by the police department.
During a separate interview with 海角破解版 Friday before the forum, the federal monitor evaluating the city鈥檚 progress, Karl Racine, described the consent decree reforms, which the city agreed to, as an 鈥渁lmost complete overhaul of all policies鈥� that officers have to follow.
Those policy rewrites and the officer training that went along with them are complete, and the city is currently in an assessment phase, said Racine.
鈥淎nd so, for the first time, I believe, in 2025, the residents of Cleveland will get a very detailed report out of our assessments,鈥� Racine said. 鈥淚'm also here to tell you that, in several areas, there's been notable progress.鈥�
Racine's team is working on assessments of use-of-force incidents by Cleveland police officers, the department鈥檚 crisis intervention team, which responds to individuals in a mental health crisis, and search and seizure procedures.
The police department has, during previous evaluations by the monitor, received high marks for its use-of-force and crisis intervention reforms. The search-and-seizure assessment, which reviews police stops and searches for constitutionality, is likely to show some areas for improvement, said Racine.
鈥淵ou'll see certain information come out from time to time around stop data and disparities in regards to individuals stopped,鈥� Racine said. 鈥淚 think that is an area that our assessment is going to be really important, and it will probably reveal opportunities for the city to get better and learn.鈥�
During the City Club forum, Anderson echoed that prediction.
鈥淲e have to be honest about these areas,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淪earch and seizure is how we got into this, right?鈥�
None of the officials were prepared to make any predictions about when the consent decree is likely to end. There鈥檚 already been indications from Washington, D.C., that the new attorney general will face pressure to bring consent decrees to a close nationwide.
The Associated Press reported in January on negotiated during the previous administration.
On Wednesday, Ohio鈥檚 new senator, Bernie Moreno, asking her to initiate steps in court that would bring existing consent decrees, including Cleveland鈥檚, to an end.
Those signs of hostility in national politics toward consent decrees isn鈥檛 being treated as an invitation to end the one in Cleveland, said Anderson.
鈥淲e are in the throes of the consent decree,鈥� said Anderson told the City Club audience. 鈥淢y mandate is very clear from the mayor 鈥� it is to make sure we are in compliance with the consent decree. As far as I鈥檓 concerned, that will continue until I am given a different mandate.鈥�
Racine, who was appointed by U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver, who has authority over the decree in Cleveland, said he is expecting the work to continue, though it鈥檚 unclear whether there will be enough time for all the work that was envisioned a year ago.
During a status hearing in Oliver鈥檚 court in September, Racine said there are 10 鈥渂road areas鈥� that will undergo assessment in total. The city has started three and has seven more to go, including on discipline and promotions.
In an interview Friday, Racine was less committed to getting to all 10 this year.
鈥淲hether we get to 10 assessments this year, that is a lot,鈥� said Racine. 鈥淚 know that we've put a lot on our own plates because we know how eager the police and the residents of Cleveland are to move forward. And we're going to do everything we can to do just that, but not without being diligent. We must do a thorough and diligent job. So, you're going to see 2025 is the year of assessments.鈥�
In one of the areas next in line for assessment 鈥� police promotions 鈥� the city has yet to create a policy that takes into account an officer鈥檚 full history and adherence to the reforms in the consent decree.
Work on that area of reform will get into entirely new territory for the department, Todd said during the City Club forum.
鈥淭here鈥檚 never been a per se policy in place,鈥� said Todd. 鈥淲ith that, we鈥檝e followed the guidelines of the civil service laws for promotions.鈥�
Todd added that, whenever the consent decree does end, she believes the system of officer accountability that has been put in place will live on.
鈥淚 am fair, consistent and I hold people accountable. That is my dedication to the community, that is my dedication to our men and women,鈥� said Todd. 鈥淚 can tell you, as chief, it is very lonely because I can鈥檛 have friends, I can鈥檛 have relationships because any type of friendship you have with someone can be misconstrued as someone not being held accountable.鈥�
