Cleveland is starting the year with 1,137 police officers, not including cadets still in training. That’s the head count as of Jan. 14, according to City Hall.
Police staffing has been a persistent issue for Mayor Justin Bibb, who is running for a second term this year. The mayor has raised officer pay and expedited the hiring process to try to make up for retirements and resignations.
The latest figures show that the force saw a net decline in 2024. But the pace of that decline appears to have slowed. Cleveland netted losses of more than 100 officers annually in 2021, 2022 and 2023, city budget documents show.
In 2024, however, the net loss was 32 officers. (The city ended 2023 with 1,169 officers.)
Bibb, who took office in 2022, emphasized the positive side of the coin in an interview with Signal Cleveland this month.
“We’ve seen that pace of folks leaving decline,” the mayor said. “And I think that’s a testament to the investments we’ve made in our police department.”
On the other hand, 1,137 is the lowest start-of-year head count that the Cleveland Division of Police has seen in recent memory.
Cleveland brought on 137 recruits last year. There are 81 still in training, according to the city. If they all graduate and join the regular force, it will bring the city closer to its budgeted number of 1,350 officers.
Are the latest hiring numbers good news for the city? According to Michael Polensek, the chair of Cleveland City Council’s Safety Committee, “Yes and no.”
The expedited hiring has made a difference – but it still takes the city too long to fill vacant jobs, Polensek said. The longtime City Council member wants the mayor’s administration to revamp its human resources and civil service practices.
Polensek expects that City Hall will still have to fight against police attrition, given the age of officers on the force.
“There will be more people retiring,” he said. “Now has it slowed? Yes.”
Discovered by Documenters: Cuyahoga County closing the gap for child wellness center
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne says he has raised $13 million of the $14 million needed for the new Child Wellness Campus. The West Side center would offer services and a temporary home for up to 58 children in county custody.
The project is meant to alleviate the pressure on the Jane Edna Hunter office building, the Children and Family Services headquarters that became a de facto shelter of last resort for kids in the county system.
Read Documenter Dean Jackson’s notes from the County Council meeting here.
