In early November, the city of Cleveland passed Issue 24 — which we covered previously here and here — which ostensibly gave the citizens of the city more oversight of police. The Outlaws Radio Show, a Cleveland radio station, recently pointed out that the changes to the city charter will not make Clevelanders feel safer.
Here’s The Outlaws host and show creator Darvio Morrow telling the story of a family friend who is already in desperate need of police intervention in a domestic dispute in which she finds herself at the mercy of a violent offender, but has been told she she must seek the advice of a social worker as the police, under the new law, can no longer help.
I’m angry. Yesterday the elderly mother of a friend went downtown 2 file a restraining order against a meth head relative who has robbed & attacked her & was told that because of Issue 24, she has 2go see social workers instead. Let me vent. @TheOutlawsRadio https://t.co/UBkqAuq2aS pic.twitter.com/cUrQZ9LmMP
— Darvio Morrow (@DTheKingpin) November 20, 2021
Cleveland voters approved the measure, despite warnings from shows like The Outlaws, sitting City Council president Kevin Kelley, and Cleveland’s outgoing mayor Frank Jackson (who started a minor firestorm for calling out the “tragedy pimps” behind the measure), by a 59%-41% margin.
This amendment gives Justin Bibb, the Mayor-elect, and the civilians he appoints as members to the oversight boards greater power when it comes to policing the City. However, some in the larger police community fear that there will be new shortages of staff and worse law enforcement.
The mayor is required to appoint thirteen people to the commission, which has final authority over officer discipline and police training. The commission will oversee misconduct investigations conducted by a civilian board, with the mayor appointing five of the board’s nine members.
Frank Jackson, the outgoing mayor and Police Chief Calvin Williams were against the ballot issue. This removes the power of the Division of Police from conducting its own investigations and issuing discipline.
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Jeff Folmer, President of the CPPA said that the amended will only worsen the ongoing shortages in the division’s staff. Folmer reports that 156 officers left the force this year. 13 of those were in the past month. Those positions haven’t been filled.
Folmer claimed that almost 300 officers were eligible for retirement and predicted dire staffing conditions by spring.
“If we’re down 300 to 400 like predicted, it’s going to cripple our police department and it’s going to cripple patrols,” Folmer said. “It’s going to cripple how things are followed up on.”
Folmer said Cleveland officers are underpaid compared to suburban departments and won’t want to be judged by civilians who have never worked in law enforcement.
“This was all about vengeance and getting power. There’s no ifs, ands or buts,” Folmer said of Issue 24. “Probably one of the worst days ever to have this group that hates police win this and try to take control of us.”
RedState has previously reported that staff shortages were a major concern in the lead-up to the election.
“No one wants to be a Cleveland police officer anymore,” said Paul Forsgren, who formed Greater Cleveland Citizens for Public Safety to oppose Issue 24, to Cleveland.com news. “The good ones we have left will quit if Issue 24 passes.”
In a four-minute clip with Cleveland’s Outlaws Radio Show, Forsgren suggested the amendment is actually very bad for community safety.
“[Currently] the Director of Public Safety is basically…in charge of all things related to public safety…and [he/she] has final authority and responsibility on discipline,” Forsgren said. “The Chief of Police in the current charter is charged with running the police department and in imposing a certain level of discipline. The changes that are proposed… effectively put the Civilian Police Review Board and the Community Police Commission, no longer as recommending bodies, but actually gives them complete oversight over the division of police to where they can actually override the Safety Director and the Chief of Police…in any way, shape, or form they believe [is appropriate]…Additionally, the board can initiate its own complaints, which I find very confusing because the board that can impose discipline on police officers, can initiate its own complaints, and then impose its own discipline.”
Cleveland now has the potential to add staffing challenges to citizens already in immediate danger. Citizens who fear for their safety have no other options than social workers, who might or may not be capable of stopping a violent criminal.
One silver lining to this story is the fact that Issue 24 has brought about some swift consequences. This may require a reconsideration of the way Cleveland will police the city under the new law.
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