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CPC Recommends Reinstatement of Professor Ayesha Hardaway as Deputy Monitor

The following letter was sent via email to Monitor Hassan Aden on June 25, 2021.

June 25, 2021

Monitor Aden,

After thoughtful deliberation and consultation with community members, we are writing to recommend the reinstatement of Professor Ayesha Hardaway to your compliance team as the Deputy Monitor.

Professor Hardaway is unrivaled in her local connections to community groups and subject matter expertise regarding constitutional policing. She stood on her principles and many groups and individuals here in Cleveland have lifted her up for doing so. These principals embody the spirit of the Consent Decree and all that it hopes to achieve.

As the entity charged with leveraging the wishes of the people to effect changes in this process we ask that you reconsider your decision. As a servant of the people and the court we know you understand how important it is to the integrity of the Consent Decree to ensure the will of the community is not only heard but in fact, drives the process.

We look forward to our meeting in the near future.

Sincerely,

The Cleveland Community Police Commission

View the Letter: CPC Letter to Monitor Aden to Reinstate Professor Hardaway (pdf)

CPC Statements & News

CPC Requests DOJ to Reopen Civil Rights Investigation into the Homicide of Tamir Rice

The following letter was sent to the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and to the Office of the United Stated Attorney on May 10, 2021.

May 10, 2021

Dear Ms. Karlan and Ms. Brennan,

The Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC), in solidarity with the Rice family and others throughout Ohio, request that the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) re-open the investigation into the homicide of Tamir Rice.

Over the past month, Cleveland’s media outlets and others have reported what may have been “political interference” into the investigation by the previous administration. It is our belief that the Rice family deserves a fair and unbiased review of the circumstances that led to Tamir’s death free from political influence. Regardless of the outcome, it is the principle of equal treatment under the law that must prevail in this circumstance.

Sincerely,

The Cleveland Community Police Commission

View the Letter: CPC Letter to DOJ to Re-Open Tamir Rice Civil Rights Investigation (pdf)

CPC Statements & News

CPC Submits Recommendations on CDP Vehicle Pursuit Policy

Proposed changes focus on incorporating best practices to increase safety, improve transparency

For Immediate Release:
September 1, 2020

CLEVELAND – On August 31, the Community Police Commission (CPC) submitted its vehicle pursuit policy recommendations to the City and Cleveland Division of Police.

Community concerns regarding the danger vehicle pursuits pose to the public and the pursuit related death of a 13 year old girl in December of 2019 led the CPC to take a look at existing policy.

The CPC recognizes the CDP’s 2015 effort to update the vehicle pursuit policy and acknowledge that the current policy is generally in line with many national and local Ohio policies that existed during that time. In response to public concerns, the CPC concluded that five years is a reasonable amount of time to consider making several updates to enhance previous efforts in this area.

The CPC’s recommendations were informed by community feedback and existing research on best practices currently followed by other law enforcement agencies.

The CPC’s recommendations center on three key areas:

Refining when an officer can use an authorized emergency vehicle to pursue a suspect and incorporating additional best practices for these pursuits;
Defining training standards and limiting officers who are authorized to pursue to “sufficiently trained officers” only;
Outlining criteria for reporting pursuit data to the public.

Read the CPC’s recommendations, explanation of proposed changes, and letter to Chief Williams here.

Implementing the CPC’s proposed changes to the current pursuit policy will show the CDP is listening to the community’s concerns and actively making changes to further build community trust and confidence in the Cleveland Division of Police.

The CPC looks forward to continuing a dialogue with the City and CDP about these recommendations.

Read the Press Release: CPC Recommendations on CDP Vehicle Pursuit Policy – Sept 2020 (pdf)

CPC Statements & News

CPC Letter to DOJ Requesting Investigation into Possible Civil Rights Violations During May 30 Lawful Assemblies

The following letter was sent to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the Office of the United States Attorney on Thursday, July 16, 2020

July 16, 2020

Dear Mr. Dreiband and Mr. Herdman,

The Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC), on behalf of the people of Cleveland Ohio, request that the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) open a probe into multiple incidents of excessive force, unconstitutional policing and other civil rights violations by the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP), Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, and possibly the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Police (RTA PD). The focus of the inquiry requested is specifically centered on the response tactics and policies of these agencies when deploying to lawful assemblies and protests. The scope includes events occurring in Cleveland, Ohio on May 30th, 2020. Ideally, this probe would complement but not repeat the 2014 pattern and practice investigation of the Cleveland Division of Police and would address issues specifically related to exercising first amendment rights in the City of Cleveland.

Incidents of Excessive Force Documented by Media on May 30th

Over the past month, Cleveland’s media outlets have documented chaotic events that occurred Downtown on May 30th, 2020. The City’s residents witnessed a series of incidents involving Cleveland police officers, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s deputies and possibly Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Police (RTA PD) which seem to have escalated a lawful protest into a violent and chaotic situation resulting in harm to participants and property damage. In at least one case, serious physical harm was inflicted by the police (a matter that may meet its own criteria for a criminal investigation by the DOJ). We believe, despite court order reforms to the Cleveland Police Division, a DOJ investigation is warranted.

The following are brief descriptions of incidents, brought to the CPC by community members that have raised concerns and lead us to make this request.

Witness accounts [1] and video verification [2] showed that unprovoked police began shooting tear gas, flash grenades, pepper balls and wooden bullets into the crowd that had gathered around the Cuyahoga County Justice Center.

At some point during the attack by police on demonstrators, John Sanders was shot in the face with a beanbag round. Mr. Sanders, 24, who was exercising his constitutional right to protest, lost forever the use of his left eye. The officer responsible has still not been identified publicly. [3]

At least one video shows [4] an officer striking a man with a baton who was attempting to create a safe space between protesters and police. Complaints against the Cleveland Division of Police to the Office of Professional Standards doubled in June of 2020 corresponding with this event and other protests. [5]

This Day of Unconstitutional Response to a Lawful Assembly Warrants a Second Look at Issues Specific to the First Amendment.

The Cleveland Community Police Commission asks that the DOJ once again take a look at law enforcement in Cleveland centering around the practices and policies of these agencies in Northeast Ohio that may deprive persons of their right to lawfully assemble. The Constitutional violations specific to exercising first amendment rights appear to have continued despite current reform efforts mandated by the DOJ.

Additionally, there are more departments involved than previous DOJ investigations which only encompassed the actions of the Cleveland Division of Police. Residents of Northeast Ohio deserve equal and professional treatment by all police officers when exercising their right to assemble and protest. City and county official’s subsequent defensive responses to the incidents outlined above show little regard for the trust our current Consent Decree is designed to improve. For example, the media has recently highlighted numerous contradictory statements between the agencies involved. [6]

Although there may be multiple concurrent investigations of these events, the DOJ is uniquely equipped to handle complex questions regarding constitutional rights.

We request that the Civil Rights Division promptly examine whether any or all of these agencies were engaged in violations of civil rights via attacks on peaceful protesters, unlawful arrests of protesters and the use of excessive force on protesters.

Sincerely,
The members of the Cleveland Community Police Commission,

Terry Echols, Gordon Friedman,
Harriet Hadley, Lewis Katz,
Frederick Knuckles, LaToya Logan,
Victoria Marion, Mayele Ngemba,
Megan Testa

[1]
https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2020/06/cleveland-police-gave-order-for-george-floyd-protesters-to-disperse-legal-observers-witnesses-said-no-one-heard-it.html

[2]
https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2020/07/video-from-clevelands-george-floyd-protest-contains-no-mention-of-protesters-throwing-rocks-before-police-used-pepper-spray-tear-gas-on-crowd.html

[3]
https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2020/06/man-who-lost-eye-to-police-fired-bean-bag-round-during-clevelands-george-floyd-protests-i-did-not-deserve-this.html

[4]
https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2020/06/cleveland-police-launch-internal-investigation-after-officer-captured-on-video-hitting-peaceful-protester-with-baton-during-justice-center-standoff.html

[5]
https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2020/06/cleveland-dispatcher-accused-of-calling-black-lives-matter-terrorist-organization-on-facebook-as-police-complaints-double-in-june.html

[6]
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cuyahoga-county-sheriff-contradicts-cleveland-chief-calvin-williams-claim-that-may-30-protesters-breached-the-justice-center/ar-BB16aqQl

CPC Letter Requesting Investigation into Possible Civil Rights Violations During May 30 Lawful Assemblies (pdf)

CPC Statements & News

The Community Police Commission recommends policy changes to increase police accountability, discipline consistency

For Immediate Release:
June 30, 2020

(CLEVELAND, OH) — The Community Police Commission (CPC) recently submitted recommendations that would make substantial changes to the Cleveland Division of Police’s (CDP) current disciplinary process.

The recommended improvements to the CDP’s Disciplinary Guidance Matrix outlines the changes to be made that would bring the Cleveland Division of Police closer to being into compliance with the consent decree than if the policy remained unchanged.

Improving the discipline policy continues to be a high priority for both the community and officers. It is important to the community that officers are held accountable for their actions and clear guidelines will let officers know that the way discipline is carried out will be consistent and fair.

The Cleveland Police Monitoring Team’s 2018 Police Officer Focus Group report states, “Officers believe that CDP’s administrators are perpetuating a culture of excessive and inconsistent discipline to make it appear that reform is taking place, as opposed to using discipline to teach and impose thoughtful accountability.”

If implemented, the CPC’s recommendations would effectively address the community’s and officer’s concerns by:

● Clarifying existing violations which would reduce supervisors’ arbitrary disciplinary decisions.
● Ensuring the creation, availability, and disclosure of proper documentation relevant to disciplinary decisions.
● Narrows the use of discretion by limiting mitigating and aggravating factors to the most serious offenses.
● Creating a new oversight committee tasked with making sure disciplinary outcomes are consistent.

The CPC’s proposed changes along with a draft showing how the new policy would look can be read here:

● CPC Changes to the Disciplinary Matrix GPO
● Draft CPC Model of Disciplinary Guidance GPO

Over the coming weeks, the CPC looks forward to working with city leaders, DOJ, and Monitoring Team to discuss the CPC’s recommendations.

About the Cleveland Community Police Commission

The CPC was established in 2015 as part of the Consent Decree between the City of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice. The CPC provides community input on police policies to help strengthen relationships between officers and the communities they serve. Better policies will help ensure policing in Cleveland is safe, effective, and that people’s civil rights are upheld. For more information, visit the CPC’s website: www.clecpc.org.

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Download Statement: CPC Recommends Policy Changes to Increase Police Accountability, Discipline Consistency (pdf)

CPC Statements & News

Cleveland Community Police Commission’s Statement on McGrath Resignation

For Immediate Release:
June 18, 2020

(CLEVELAND, OH) — The Cleveland Community Police Commission has been made aware via a news article in Cleveland.com that Michael McGrath has announced his retirement from the position of Safety Director for the City of Cleveland.

Director McGrath was a polarizing figure when it comes to police reform. His long career with the Cleveland Division of Police, specifically his tenure as Chief of Police during the Department of Justice’s Investigation in 2014, has been controversial. Many Clevelanders and pro-justice organizations have directly advocated for his resignation at our public meetings and through private communications with us due to his perceived friendly bias towards police and law enforcement in general. The persons and groups advocating for his resignation called upon the Mayor to replace him with a qualified, educated and experienced leader who is not emotionally, professionally or philosophically attached to the Cleveland Division of Police. As Governor DeWine alluded to today, police cannot be counted on to be unbiased when they are investigating and disciplining their friends and co-workers.

Today, the Commission calls upon Mayor Jackson to conduct a nationwide search for a qualified and professional Safety Director. Ideally the person selected will be social justice oriented and prioritize the importance of police reform and accountability at this moment in time. We encourage the Mayor to exclude candidates who have served as a Cleveland Police Officer or who have worked closely with the Cleveland Division of Police such as prosecutors or judges.

About the Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC)

The CPC was established in 2015 as part of the Consent Decree between the City of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice. The CPC works with the community to provide input on police policies to help strengthen relationships between officers and the communities they serve. Better policies will help ensure policing in Cleveland is safe, effective, and that people’s civil rights are upheld. For more information, visit the CPC’s website: www.clecpc.org.

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Download this Statement:
CPC Statement on McGrath Resignation (pdf)

Cleveland Community Police Commission’s (CPC) Statement on the Death of George Floyd

For Immediate Release:
June 1, 2020

(CLEVELAND, OH) — This weekend, Americans came together in solidarity across the nation to condemn racism in protests that were sparked by the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Thousands gathered in downtown Cleveland to protest the loss of another black man at the hands of police, and to demand an end to racism, and an end to bias in policing.

All of us on the CPC were profoundly saddened and horrified by George Floyd’s killing, as we were by similar events that took place across the country and in our own city. For this reason, the CPC stands with community members who exercised their first amendment rights in this fight for social justice.

No one in our society benefits from racism, bad policing, or violence. Amidst news reports that focus on the destructive acts of few, the moving narrative of thousands of people of all races and backgrounds demonstrating peacefully for hours in the heart of Cleveland is not being told. The CPC sees, recognizes, and applauds our fellow Clevelanders for conducting themselves peacefully. Your message was not lost. The CPC, in collaboration with citizens, the Department of Justice, and the Cleveland Division of Police, is committed to work towards police reform and establishing an effective civilian oversight system in Cleveland.

The CPC would like to hear from the community, now, as always.

1) If you witnessed police misconduct, file a complaint with the Cleveland Office of Professional Standards (OPS) through the OPS Citizen Complaint Form or by emailing CLEPoliceComplaints@city.cleveland.oh.us.

2) The CPC will be meeting soon to discuss this weekend’s protests. We want to hear from you. We encourage you to send stories and/or images of what you experienced to info@clecpc.org.

3) Please stay in touch by following us on Facebook and Twitter or by signing up to receive the CPC newsletter to be updated on our next steps. This continues to be a critical time in police accountability.

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About the Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC)

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CPC Statement on the Death of George Floyd – June 1 2020 Download

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CPC Statement on Fatal Shooting by a Cleveland Police Officer

For Immediate Release:
April 16, 2020

(CLEVELAND, OH) — The Community Police Commission (CPC) is closely monitoring the progress of the investigation of the fatal shooting of Desmond Franklin last week. Officer Jose Garcia was not injured as a result of the incident. A 17-year-old with Franklin was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident occurred on Thursday, April 9th in the Brooklyn Centre neighborhood of Cleveland. The Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) has shared with the CPC that the incident is under investigation by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office and administratively by CDP’s Internal Affairs unit in accordance with the new court approved, post consent decree policies and procedures.

Guiding principles on use of force and subsequent investigations is an important element of Cleveland’s Consent Decree. The CPC works to help ensure officers engage in Constitutional and effective policing and the CPC is committed to finding out if the processes described in the reforms are working effectively in these circumstances. The CPC’s recommendations for Use of Force and past work on the issue can be found on our website at www.clecpc.org/our-work/use-of-force.

The CPC understands that the investigation into this incident is on-going. It is the CPC and community’s expectation that a full and fair investigation will be conducted into the facts pertaining to the officer’s use of deadly force and that written findings will be produced and shared with the public at the conclusion of the review.

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About the Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC)

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Press Release – CPC Statement – April 2020 Download

CPC’s Statement on Tragic Loss of Tamia Chappman and CDP Officer

The CPC extends their condolences to the affected families and will be holding a special meeting for the Cleveland community to talk about recent events

For Immediate Release:
December 27, 2019

(CLEVELAND, OH) — The CPC is closely monitoring developments surrounding the vehicle pursuit on Friday, December 20 th that ended with the tragic loss of 13 year old Tamia Chappman’s life. We are also aware that on December 23 rd an officer who may have been on the scene reportedly took their own life. The CPC strongly believes both of these tragedies were preventable.

First and foremost our thoughts are with the families of both Tamia and the officer during this difficult time. We work closely with families who have faced similar traumas and empathize with the journey ahead of them. The CPC is unique in Cleveland. We are comprised of both officers and civilians who together serve as a conduit for community healing and the police reform process. We host difficult conversations, which lead to changes after a crisis such as this one. Empowered by the Consent Decree it is our intent to carry forward the community’s reform recommendations in the areas of police pursuits, use of force and officer wellness to the Chief of Police and other city leadership.

We understand this is a developing situation and an investigation is ongoing. We call upon the City to ensure a timely and thorough investigation into both deaths is conducted. We also call upon the newly appointed Inspector General to take an active lead in ensuring the integrity of these investigations. This includes guaranteeing that an investigation considers both the lawfulness of all officers’ involved actions as well adherence to the pursuit policy, internal affairs policy and critical incident stress response policy.

Nationwide police vehicle pursuits have taken thousands of innocent lives. Pursuits and traffic related cases are also the leading cause of on-duty death and injury of officers. These trends continue to increase. Locally, over the past two years, the issue of costly and tragic pursuits has been raised by the CPC, activists, media, city council persons, the NAACP and others. The 2015 Consent Decree states: “CDP will continue to limit vehicle pursuits to those in which the need to capture the suspect outweighs the danger.” In January the CPC will form a working group to review the Division’s 2015 Vehicle Pursuits policy and make additional recommendations to ensure that future reforms meet the standards set forth in the Consent Decree. This work will include further defining when, if ever, the citizens of Cleveland feel it is appropriate for a vehicle pursuit to occur.

Officer wellness and critical incident response have been a continuous part of our work over the past five years. For the last three years police suicides have outnumbered in the line of duty deaths in the United States. The CPC is also committed to re-visiting all of its past recommendations surrounding officer wellness, suicide prevention and officer mental health in 2019.

The citizens of Cleveland have a voice through our work. The CPC will be conducting a special meeting on January 16 th at 6 p.m. where Clevelanders can come together and talk about these recent events. We will be providing updates on the event’s location and other information via our Facebook and Twitter accounts and at http://www.clecpc.org. We encourage all who are interested in improving police services and preventing future tragedies like these to join us. You can also reach a staff member to share your thoughts by emailing info@clecpc.org or calling 216-505-5920.

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About the Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC)

The CPC was established in 2015 as part of the consent decree between the City of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice. The 13 commissioners of the CPC work with the community to make recommendations on policies and practices to help strengthen relationships between officers and the communities they serve. The CPC’s website: www.clecpc.org

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Press Release – CPC Statement on Tragic Loss of Tamia Chappman and CDP Officer – December 27 2019 Download

Public Invited to Community Police Commission Appreciation Event

The event recognizes four years of work and dedication by the individuals and organizations involved in the Cleveland police reform process.

For Immediate Release:
September 12, 2019

(CLEVELAND, OH) — The Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC) announced it will be hosting an event to recognize the dedicated volunteer commissioners, citizens, and local organizations and their work towards ensuring that all Cleveland communities are heard during the police reform process.

“This event is an opportunity to show our appreciation for the passion, grit and determination shown by our partners and commissioners to empower the community over the last four years.” says Jason Goodrick, CPC Executive Director. “Since 2015, the Commission has issued 36 reports on various issues affecting the community which equals hundreds of hours of volunteer work.”

Available at the event will be print copies the recently published CPC 2019 Annual Report & Comprehensive Review that highlights the Commission’s work since the commission was established.

The Honorable Solomon Oliver, Jr. will be the keynote speaker of the evening. Monitor Hassan Aden of the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team will be welcoming the community to the event and providing opening remarks.

The Commission Appreciation Event is free and open to the public:
WHEN: Tuesday, September 17, 2019 – 6:00pm – 8:30pm
WHERE: Jerry Sue Thornton Center, 2500 E 22nd St, Cleveland, OH 44115
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: The Honorable Solomon Oliver, Jr., U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Eventbrite RSVP link: https://cpc-appreciation-event.eventbrite.com

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About the Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC)

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