The Community Police Commission is inviting Clevelanders to join a discussion on police chases and share their concerns about the topic.
The Community Police Commission is inviting Clevelanders to join a discussion on police chases and share their concerns about the topic. Credit: Jeff Haynes

The Community Police Commission invites Clevelanders to join a discussion on police chases and share their concerns about the topic at the Collinwood Recreation Center on Monday, Aug. 19. 

The commission will take the community’s input into account as it continues to make changes to the police policy on vehicle pursuits. The commission has final authority over police policies. Its members review and can change new or existing policies.   

At the forum, police leaders will present an overview of existing policy. Stanley Jackson, an attorney with the Cochran Firm who represented Tamia Chappman’s family in a lawsuit against the City of Cleveland, will share his perspective. 

Tamia Chappman was 13 years old when she was killed in 2019 during a Cleveland Police chase in East Cleveland. Officers were pursuing an alleged carjacker who struck Chappman as she walked to the library. The driver of the stolen vehicle, D’Shaun McNear, who was 15 years old at the time, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. 

In April, Chappman’s family settled a wrongful-death civil lawsuit with the City of Cleveland for $4.8 million. 

Sharena Zayed, co-chair of the Community Police Commission, said the commission wants Cleveland police’s chase policy to minimize the risk to the community. 

“Police pursuits impact the entire community,” Zayed said. 

The commission wants to include community voices as it reviews and revamps police policies. Commissioners want to make sure the police chase policy reflects the values of Clevelanders, she said. 

Zayed hopes people who attend will learn about the police policy and its complexities and stay involved in the work the commission is doing. 

“The current police policy may be well intended,” Zayed said. “But could benefit from more of a comprehensive approach, where more community voices are included.”

In May, the commission held a forum where people learned about how Cleveland police use surveillance technology and shared their concerns about police surveillance. 

If you go

What: Panel discussion and community Q&A on police pursuit policy and safety in your neighborhood

When: 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 19

Where: Collinwood Recreation Center, 16300 Lakeshore Blvd.

Signal background

A freelance reporter based in Arizona, Stephanie was the inaugural criminal justice reporter with Signal Cleveland until October 2024. She wrote about the criminal legal system, explaining the complexities and shedding light on injustices/inequities in the system and centering the experiences of justice-involved individuals, both victims and people who go through the criminal legal system and their families.