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)

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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