Cleveland’s Civilian Police Review Board is set up to handle allegations of serious officer misconduct, from harassment to excessive force. They also hear less serious complaints.
Last week, the board considered the case of a man who spent a night out in the Flats while in Cleveland for a business conference. The night ended with thousands of dollars charged to the man’s credit cards at Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club – charges he said he didn’t recall authorizing.
According to material the board reviewed, the man said that “the last memory he had was watching a hockey game on television at Punchbowl Social and then going to the restroom.”
As fate would have it, he ended up at the Hustler Club, according to the board report. He was, the CPRB report notes, “in a confused state of mind.”
“While at the Hustler Club, several thousands of dollars was charged to three of his credit cards,” the report says.
The man reported the matter to his credit card companies and to Cleveland police. Both determined that he was, in fact, liable for the charges. So he went to the CPRB, accusing the police officer who handled his complaint of a lack of service.
Cleveland’s Office of Professional Standards worked the shoe leather investigating the case. OPS interviewed the man, the officer and a club representative. In the end, the CPRB took the officer’s side.
OPS obtained the credit card receipts for the charges, which required both a signature and a thumb print. But the coup de grace evidence listed in the board’s report were photos showing the man himself signing for the charges.
Case closed. Almost. The presentation left CPRB Chair Billy Sharp with a lingering question.
“I know what it sounds like, but I got to ask,” Sharp said. “What is the Hustlers Club?”
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Nine Cleveland residents picked by the mayor and City Council sit on the board.