The Community Police Commission (CPC) on Monday condemned the City of Cleveland’s process for promoting two police commanders recently, saying the appointments were “unlawful” because they were made without the commission’s input.
“By bypassing the Commission entirely, [Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration] has not only violated the letter of the City Charter but has also disregarded the spirit of community engagement and oversight that the Charter embodies,” CPC said in a statement released by co-chair John Adams. The statement called on the city to rescind the promotions — in the Fourth District and the Bureau of Special Services — immediately.
In an interview with Signal Cleveland, Adams said the commission learned of the promotions in a Facebook post. He also clarified that CPC has no issues with the officers who were promoted, only the process.
The City Charter outlines the commission’s powers and responsibilities, including “Interviewing and recommending candidates for police commander and inspector general to the Mayor.”
On Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for Mayor Bibb told Signal Cleveland that “We are actively looking into this matter.”
Cleveland Law Director Mark Griffin addressed the issue at the City Council meeting Monday night.
“This just came to our attention today,” Griffin said in response to a question from Council Member Stephanie Howse-Jones. “So we’re looking at it in terms both of what is the impact of it and what is the remedy. We hope to have an answer for you very shortly.”
‘Alarmed and disappointed’
It’s not the first time members have raised issues with whether city officials or the police department respect the authority or independence of the commission.
Last year, Community Police Commission members passed a resolution requiring the police department to send general police orders through the commission for review. And the commission also has an ongoing dispute with the city law department over whether the commission or the mayor gets to pick its executive director.
In the CPC statement, Adams singled out Police Chief Wayne Drummond. Adams said Drummond assured the commission in December that he respected its authority and would cooperate fully but then went ahead with the promotions and, separately, “has denied the CPC’s request for police discipline records, which we need to conduct police accountability work.”
“I am alarmed and disappointed by the pattern that is developing under Chief Drummond’s leadership,” Adams said. “In the future, we hope that the citizens of Cleveland can trust that their police department will not demonstrate such overt disregard for the laws they have taken a sworn oath to enforce.”
The police department’s public information office did not respond to Signal Cleveland’s request for comment from Drummond.
Adams also asked for a meeting with Mayor Bibb “to allow us to build a working relationship that will foster a clear understanding of our duties and responsibilities to ensure that future violations of our authority are minimized.”
In an interview, Adams said he was hopeful that this procedural error would remind all parties involved in police oversight that they need to work together.
“We’re all on our little islands,” he said. “We need to communicate and collaborate.”
The CPC is made up of citizens appointed by the mayor and City Council, but the commissioners do not answer to those officials or to the Cleveland Division of Police. Read more about the commission’s responsibilities in this explainer.
This article was updated after publication with clarifications provided by John Adams in an interview.
