Clevelanders are frustrated with the city’s lack of compliance with the consent decree almost 10 years after it took effect.
Residents voiced their disappointment at a community meeting on Tuesday, where the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team went over its most recent semi-annual report. The residents who attended said they want more accountability and transparency.
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.
The monitoring team measures the Cleveland Division of Police’s reforms and reports to Senior U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr., who oversees the consent decree.
About twice a year, the monitoring team documents the progress – or lack of it – in each area of reform outlined in the consent decree. (Look through all of the reports.)
The latest report showed no increase in compliance and said the police department needs to engage more residents. The report did give the city credit for progress in crisis intervention training (CIT).
Residents see gap between report and reality
At Tuesday’s meeting, residents said some of the monitor’s report doesn’t reflect what they see day to day.
Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, pointed to a list in the report of nine challenges ahead. She said there shouldn’t be any challenges at this point—the city should just get in compliance.
She read part of the report: “CDP continues to demonstrate a commitment to earning trust…”
“Where?” Rice said. “I don’t understand how you could write this when they’re not in compliance. That’s the first thing to earning trust. And as I look through this package and look at all of these red marks, it’s 10 years later for Tamir Rice, nine years later for the consent decree.”
The report uses color-coded charts to show progress in each area. The more red in a chart, the less compliance.
Loh, a community activist, questioned the report’s suggestion of progress in CIT. Loh said officers on the street don’t always demonstrate “the proper CIT skills or the CIT spirit.”
“How come the report and the reality still have a big gap?” Loh asked.
Karl Racine, who leads the monitoring team, said the team is working on a more in-depth assessment of crisis intervention practices.
“Pretty words in a booklet”
Roderick Green thanked the police officers in the room for their service, but told them they have a “bad rap.” He said he remembers growing up and seeing “Protect and Serve” on police cars, yet still being harassed by police when they were supposed to help him.
“At what point realistically to you, do you think this will really come into play, instead of being pretty words in a booklet?” he said, addressing the monitoring team and waving the report.
Racine said those changes will happen through the consent decree, but it will take community engagement.
“We’re going to do our job and try to tell what we see as the truth consistent with our responsibilities, so that in this imperfect world, maybe the consent decree will help [create] change that the community deserves and demands,” Racine said.
Charles See, a member of the monitoring team, said the consent decree and the monitoring team’s reports are not just “pretty words.” Once the city is in compliance, it has to stay in compliance for two years before it can get out of the agreement.
It will then be up to the oversight groups in place, including the Community Police Commission and the Civilian Police Review Board, to make sure the city maintains compliance.
Cleveland’s Issue 24
Voters approved the Issue 24 ballot initiative in 2021. The changes to the city’s charter created a new Community Police Commission, which has the final say on police discipline cases and officer policies. It also gave independence to an office and board that investigates and makes decisions about resident complaints. It marked a significant change in how police officers in Cleveland are disciplined, shifting more power to appointed boards and commissions.
Racine advised residents to stay involved. He said strengthening community oversight through Issue 24, the legislation that empowered the CPC, was the result of residents applying pressure.
“Don’t stop now. Make sure that the monitor is held accountable,” he said, referring to himself. “Make sure the people in the consent decree are also doing their job.”
