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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland’s Consent Decree may finally come to an end 10 years after it was implemented in order to reform the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) and ensure constitutional policing.
The City of Cleveland and United States Department of Justice (DOJ) have jointly filed a motion to terminate the decree after what the city said in a press release has been 10 “years of sustained progress and commitment to constitutional policing in the Division of Police.”
“Cleveland’s Consent Decree began during a painful time in our city’s history. Our community’s courage and persistence shaped this reform process, and its engagement made progress possible,” Mayor Justin Bibb said in the release. “Today, reforms in Cleveland are self-sustaining, compliance has become culture, accountability is locally embedded, and local oversight remains.”
In a separate press release from the DOJ, it said the police department has resolved the issues it found back in 2014.
The DOJ said an investigation, which began in 2013, found “structural and systemic deficiencies and practices” such as ineffective policies, inadequate training and more. It said these deficiencies “contributed to the use of unreasonable force by CDP officers, in violation of the Constitution and Federal law.”
The city and the DOJ entered the decree in 2015 “with the goal of creating and implementing policies and practices to repair community trust and protect the constitutional rights of the people of Cleveland.”
In their Thursday release, the DOJ said the police department has implemented relevant policies and training and highlighted assessments showing the department now polices constitutionally.
“We are proud to stand by the men and women of CDP as we take this significant step to end federal oversight and return control of local law enforcement to the City of Cleveland,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in the release. “We believe the City and CDP have demonstrated their commitment to constitutional policing, and it is time for Cleveland to fully utilize CDP’s resources to protect Clevelanders from crime.”
U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio said assessments by the monitoring team have shown “tremendous strides” made by police in the intervening years, and he said that’s improved the community’s trust.
“The Division’s officers should be proud of what they have accomplished,” he said in the release. “As a valuable law enforcement partner, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work closely with CDP to reduce gun violence and drug trafficking, and to keep dangerous gang activity off the streets. We appreciate the dedication of these men and women in uniform and the hard work they do each day in their mission keep the people of Cleveland safe.”
During those monitoring team assessments, the city said it had received 144 upgrades. A post on their website notes that 75 had to do with use of force, 24 with crisis intervention, eight with search and seizure, nine with recruitment and hiring, three with staffing, six with equipment and resources and 19 with training.
“The progress achieved over more than a decade was not accidental —it was the result of sustained work, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to constitutional policing and strengthening community trust,” Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said in the release. “I extend my appreciation to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mayor Bibb, the Monitoring Team and the Police Accountability Team for their guidance and oversight throughout this process. I also share this achievement with the members of our Division of Police, whose resilience, professionalism, and dedication to serving our city made this progress possible.”
The city said officials will provide updates as this process moves forward to the court and U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr.
“In seeking to transfer oversight functions from federal to local control, this joint motion reflects years of sustained, measurable progress, and an unwavering commitment to constitutional policing and increasing public trust in the City of Cleveland,” said Dr. Leigh Anderson, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Police Accountability Team. “Through comprehensive policy reform, strengthened accountability systems, enhanced training, improved data collection, and meaningful engagement, durable structures have been reformed to live successfully beyond federal oversight. Through progress evidenced by assessments completed by the Independent Federal Monitoring Team in such areas as Use of Force, Crisis Intervention, Search and Seizure and Training, we are confident that the systems in place are institutionalized and designed to ensure enduring accountability and continuous improvement in the area of public safety reform.”
You can read the full amended consent decree below:
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