The City of Cleveland is looking for nine people to join the Community Police Commission, which oversees police discipline and policy. They will replace three commissioners who resigned and six others whose terms end this year. 

After a turbulent two years, when the work of the commission has often been overshadowed by infighting and public arguments with residents, city officials said they will pay attention to new applicants’ organizational work experience and whether they can get along with others. 

The city is accepting applications through Sept. 6 to fill the nine vacancies, three of which would replace people leaving the commission early. Those three terms would end in 2026. The other six would be approved for four-year terms, ending in 2028. 

The commission has existed since 2015 as part of the consent decree between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice. But the panel’s initial role was advisory; it had no real authority over the Cleveland Division of Police. 

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. 

That changed in 2021 when voters passed Issue 24. That ballot initiative changed the city charter to give the Community Police Commission (CPC) final say over police policy and discipline. 

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.

The law took effect in 2022, though the commission is still not using its full authority. 

Since commissioners were sworn in at the beginning of 2023, the group has formed committees and created a grants program. Commissioners have also been reviewing and approving changes to police policies and hosting community conversations about policing and safety issues. 

Lawyers reviewing lawsuit, complaints 

Tensions between commissioners came to a head last month when the co-chairs asked Mayor Justin Bibb to remove one commissioner, accusing her of disruptive behavior and harassment. Bibb has not responded.

An independent attorney is reviewing that request, along with several complaints members and commission staff have filed, said Tyler Sinclair, a city spokesperson.

Earlier this month, interim CPC Executive Director Jason Goodrick filed a lawsuit against the city arguing the city discriminated against him based on his race and gender when it declined to approve him as the permanent executive director. Goodrick is a white man. 

Delante Spencer Thomas, the city’s chief ethics officer, said he cannot comment on pending litigation. 

Looking for people committed to working together

While those complaints and lawsuits are reviewed, the mayor’s administration is focusing on filling the commission’s vacancies by December. 

Thomas said the administration is asking applicants to provide references this time around to help them vet candidates. 

“We did structure the application a little bit differently to request references and to get a better sense of organizational experience that people may have,” Thomas said. “And ultimately, make it clear that we are looking for residents who are passionate about this type of work but also are committed to being able to work together to move things forward.”

Interviews will be livestreamed just as they were two years ago. The interview panel will include city administration representatives, a commissioner and a community member who has been involved in police oversight. 

Thomas said the city is also rethinking onboarding and orientation. In 2023, new commissioners held a five-hour meeting to hear advice from city leaders and past commissioners. 

“We would look to do something similar, or perhaps multiple sessions to include a number of different things, whether that’s learning city structure, learning civilian oversight of police,” he said. “And also giving them an opportunity to get to know each other, so that they can work together.”

‘It’s an embarrassment’

Once the mayor’s administration has chosen its nine candidates, City Council members will interview them before approving or rejecting their appointment to the commission. 

Council Member Michael Polensek said he wants the council to ask a lot more questions than in the past and get a sense of candidates’ attitudes toward police and how they handle conflict. 

“I’m going to really do some drilling down on the new folks that are going to come before us, their philosophies, their positions, where do they stand on issues,” Polensek said. “Because if this is going to continue, we cannot continue to have chaos and spending millions of taxpayers’ dollars to perpetuate chaos.”

The commission budget must be at least $1 million a year. The city charter requires that the budget increase with either inflation or with the size of the police budget. The commission also gets 0.5% of the police budget for its violence prevention community grants program. 

The commission’s 2023 budget totaled almost $2.1 million, and its 2024 budget was $2.2 million.  

Polensek said he’s not sure whether civilian police oversight the way it’s outlined in the city charter can work. For the commission to get work done, it’ll need “competent people on the board who respect one another,” he said. 

“It’s an embarrassment,” Polensek said. “It’s a disaster.”

The infighting is ‘beyond harmful’

Alana Garrett-Ferguson is one of three members leaving the commission before her term is up. The other two are Charles Donaldson and Janice McCullough Ridgeway. 

Garrett-Ferguson resigned because she plans to start graduate school and wants to focus on that, she said. But she also told Signal Cleveland taking a break from the commission helped her gain clarity on her values. 

“The amount of infighting, all the controversy, it’s beyond harmful,” she said. 

“You lose a sense of yourself and why you’re there and what you truly believe in,” Garrett-Ferguson said. “Because you’re in this war mode.”

Garrett-Ferguson said commissioners would benefit from a retreat to get to know one another and understand each other’s values. 

To those who are considering applying for the commission, Garrett-Ferguson advises learning everything they can about how city government works. She would tell them to consider whether they have the time and the physical and mental energy to do the work, she said. 

“Don’t get caught up in the drama, the power grabbing, the ‘he say-she say,’” Garrett-Ferguson said. “Just truly focus on the work.”

She would also tell them to “build authentic relationships” with residents, City Council members and police officers, and to really listen to those groups, engage with them and bring the voices of community members into the work they do on the commission. 

‘Change can happen’ with the right people

Sharena Zayed, one of the commission’s co-chairs, said she plans to reapply when her term ends at the end of the year. Since becoming co-chair early in the year, Zayed said she and Co-Chair John Adams have gotten a lot of work done. 

“I really want to see the CPC be a success,” she said. “I want to see the consent decree be completed. I want to see us have a positive impact on public safety and community relations that CPD has with the City of Cleveland, and I think reapplying will help me to build on the work that I’ve already done.”

Zayed said she would tell people considering applying to look at the work that has been accomplished, not just the infighting at meetings.  

“The commission is in a critical space where real change can happen if the right people come on board,” Zayed said. “And I think that’s all we need, are the right people who are passionate and dedicated and really want to see constitutional policing executed in Cleveland.”