Oct. 30: Committee of the Whole, Cleveland City Council
Covered by Documenter Stacie Simon (notes)
Drone sweet drone
Two years ago, Cleveland City Council approved drones for the city’s Division of Police, according to Council Member Michael Polensek. Ten drones are sitting in an office, and council wants to see them up in the air, he said. But first, a community-led police oversight agency has to approve a police drone policy.
Cleveland’s Community Police Commission is made up of 13 residents. It has the final say on officer discipline and police policies. The commission received the drone policy – known as a “general police order” or GPO – on Oct. 10, according to Interim Executive Director Jason Goodrick.
Goodrick spoke at a council committee meeting in which several safety-related agencies gave updates to council ahead of 2025 budget hearings. He told council members the drone policy is one of CPC’s top end-of-year priorities.
In 2022, Mayor Justin Bibb pledged to form a technology advisory committee to address privacy and civil rights concerns. It met publicly for the first time this September.
Want to learn more about the city’s police oversight efforts? Read our explainers on police accountability.
Openings on Cleveland’s Community Police Commission
The ball is in the mayor’s court regarding new commission members. With nine forthcoming vacancies, the Community Police Commission received about 50 applications this fall, according to Co-Chair John Adams. The next step is for Bibb to announce his picks, Adams said.
The vacancies are due to a mix of resignations and expiring terms. Six commissioners’ terms are set to expire in December, and three people have resigned. Four of the commissioners with expiring terms re-applied. Cleveland City Council must approve the mayor’s nominations.
The commission also has a few staff vacancies, including a spot for a lawyer dedicated to advising CPC on legal matters, according to Adams. He said that position was in the midst of being filled. CPC has also been in the hiring process for an executive director. In July, Bibb rejected Goodrick for the permanent role, although he remains the interim director.
Community Police Commission grant recipients waiting on money
The Community Police Commission also has a budget of about $1 million for giving grants to community organizations focused on violence prevention. In 2023, CPC selected 26 recipients for grant money. So far, $263,000 has been sent across 12 organizations. Of those, 10 have received partial payments and two have received the full award, according to Commission Co-chair Sharena Zayed.
To help manage the grants program, CPC hired the United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland. Applications for the 2024 grant cycle close today, Friday, Nov. 8.
Read the notes from Documenter Stacie Simon:
Watch the meeting on Cleveland City Council’s YouTube. Part two of the meeting can be found here.
