Cleveland’s new Inspector General for Public Safety is a seasoned police oversight professional who has done similar jobs in several other cities, according to city officials.
The city announced Shayleen Agarwal’s hiring in a release. The position has been vacant since 2021.
This inspector general position was created as a part of the consent decree Cleveland signed in 2015. The job includes reviewing policies and practices to ensure compliance with state and federal laws, and that police practices meet the reform goals of Cleveland’s consent decree. The inspector general will also review investigations conducted by the Office of Professional Standards, which handles civilian complaints.
Cleveland’s consent decree
The consent decree is an agreement between Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice that requires police reforms. It came after a federal investigation that found a “pattern and practice” of police officers violating the rights of residents and using excessive force. The city and the federal government signed the agreement in 2015.
Agarwal was picked for the job after interviews with city safety and law officials and input from the Police Accountability Team and the Community Police Commission. (See her interview with the commission.) She starts Dec. 16.
Agarwal held roles involving police oversight and compliance in Chicago, Seattle, Oakland, and Portland dating back to 2017. Most recently, she worked as a performance auditor in San Jose, California.
