Cleveland plans a new marketing campaign to drum up police recruits.
As of Friday, there were 1,108 officers on the force out of a budgeted strength of 1,350, according to the city — a deficit of more than 240. Another 72 people are enrolled in the police academy, according to the city.
City Hall last week issued a new call for marketing firms to help with recruitment. It’s not the first time the city has sought a marketer for the police force.
This time, Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration is offering $260,000 for a two-year campaign. That effort will “highlight the human side of police officers” and advertise what makes a job with the Cleveland police attractive, according to the request for proposals.
“Our goal is to provide the most qualified consultant with the tools, guidelines, and recommendations created, to execute a research-based campaign ensuring the success of our Division,” city spokesperson Jorge Ramos Pantoja wrote in an email.
Cleveland street takeover arrests
We noted last month that street takeovers – in which crowds and drivers occupied intersections to do donuts and shoot off fireworks – pose a potential political liability for Bibb as he runs for a second term.
Since then, a Cuyahoga County grand jury has indicted three people over the late-September string of takeovers across the city, including one woman from Port Clinton. Cleveland police arrested four men in Columbus in connection with those weekend takeovers.
The city also cut a checkerboard pattern of rumble strips into the intersection of Lee Road and Harvard Avenue. Drivers who attempt donuts at the intersection now risk tearing up their cars’ tires.
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New slate of Community Police Commission nominees
More than three years ago, mayoral candidate Bibb endorsed Issue 24, which granted the Community Police Commission broad new powers. Bibb won and Issue 24 won – but then the commission became caught up in infighting for two years.
Now the mayor has a chance to reset the table. With terms expiring and some commissioners resigning, Bibb is asking Cleveland City Council to approve nine nominees to the 13-member board. [Clarification: Seven of the nominees are new and two would be returning commission members, if approved.]
Bibb’s tough-on-crime talk
Cleveland police this week announced the arrest of a 14-year-old in connection with an Oct. 31 aggravated robbery. A news release from City Hall said the teen had been “arrested multiple times” before in other cases that remain under investigation.
This wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill police update. This news release notably included some tough talk from the mayor.
“The sheer havoc this individual is believed to have wreaked on our community is beyond alarming and more so frustrating when considering how many second chances he has been afforded,” Bibb’s statement read in part. “Residents are fed up, businesses are fed up, and I am fed up.”
To put a finer point on it, City Hall shared the quote in a social media graphic beside Bibb’s signature.
