Marcus Perez, hired earlier this year to lead the Cleveland office that investigates resident complaints about police misconduct, is on temporary leave from the city job.
A city spokesperson confirmed Monday that Perez took a voluntary leave as administrator of the Office of Professional Standards (OPS) while the city investigates an employee complaint filed Nov. 16.
Reached by phone, Perez confirmed it was his decision to step back because “there’s always tension when there’s an investigation.” Perez said he didn’t want to discuss details but touted the work he has done since taking over the office, which has been chronically understaffed and buried in a backlog of cases.
“People always complain when there’s a change in leadership,” he said.
In the seven months since Perez took the helm, two employees have resigned and at least three others have complained to city officials about the administrator, according to records obtained by Signal Cleveland.
Records reveal concerns about Perez’ management style. One employee said in an emailed letter that Perez created an “environment of hostility.” Another called his treatment of staff “abusive.”
Perez’s leave comes on the heels of a new formal complaint that led to the city investigation. The review by the city’s human resources staff can take into consideration previous or new information, said Tyler Sinclair, a city spokesperson. Once the investigation is complete, the city will make a recommendation to the Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB), which will make a final decision to take action or not.
Signal Cleveland left a message Monday for Billy Sharp, who chairs the police oversight board, seeking comment. The nine-member board oversees OPS – including Perez. Its members are Cleveland residents who review investigations based on resident complaints and, in some cases, recommend discipline for police officers and dispatchers.
While Perez is on leave, other staff members are handling his duties, which include managing investigations and presentations for cases that will be considered by the board.
“We greatly value the work OPS has done, currently does, and will continue to do,” Sinclair said.
Marcus Perez hired to lead office with new independence
Perez joined the office as administrator in May 2023. Before that, the position was vacant for nearly 18 months. The previous administrator, Roger Smith, resigned in November 2021.
In announcing Perez’ hiring, Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration called Perez a “globally-recognized” U.S. Army policing expert.
Prior to joining OPS, Perez spent 20 years in the military, the last five as the senior inspector general for the Department of the Army in the Pentagon, according to his LinkedIn. Perez was born in Chicago and moved to Medina when he was 10 years old. His sister is an officer with the Cleveland Division of Police.
Voters approved Issue 24 in 2021, giving OPS independence from the city’s Public Safety Department. Now, the nine-member CPRB directly oversees OPS. The board, whose members are appointed by the mayor and City Council, voted to hire Perez.
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 CPRB hired Perez in the fall of 2022 but, due to job commitments, he didn’t start as administrator until May 2023.
The federal monitors, who oversee the city’s progress on the consent decree between Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice, flagged problems with the hiring process in March 2023.
The monitoring team wrote in the report that the CPRB remained out of compliance with the consent decree following Perez’s hiring. For example, the board decided to not make the interviews open to the public, as had been the case when former administrators were hired. Only two of the nine board members were present for Perez’s interview, according to the monitor’s report. One board member did not attend any candidate interviews for the position.
For years, OPS has dealt with persistent understaffing and has struggled with a backlog of cases to investigate. The struggling performance of the office has also been noted by the monitoring team in its reports multiple times.
Resignations followed complaints about management style
The two resignations–one in August and the other in September–follow months of concerns about Perez, according to the records. They included one of the agency’s most senior investigators and a longtime public employee who joined the office to work with community members.
The investigator submitted a 90-page resignation letter that included a timeline of interactions with Perez and the staff and documentation of emails to the city’s Human Resources department, CPRB members and Perez.
Both employees stated they were leaving their roles because of Perez, calling the workplace “untenable” and referring to the decision to quit as one “made under duress.” One employee used “tearfully” as the sign-off of the resignation letter.
Signal Cleveland reached one of the employees, who asked that her name not be published. A reporter left a voicemail but could not reach the second employee who resigned.
One of the complaints says that Perez “created an environment of hostility” and has “heard Marcus disparage OPS to anyone that will listen.” The complaint also mentioned repeated instances of Perez telling employees to start looking for other jobs and to “dust off their resumes.”
The complaints describe Perez’s behavior during his first meeting with OPS staff on May 1, his first day on the job. Perez told employees that he “didn’t need to hear anything about [OPS staff] because he had read our bios on the website.”
In June, the employees said Perez sent all OPS employees instructions on filling out a performance improvement plan, which they understood to be a disciplinary action. Employees submitted the plans to Perez for further review. It is unknown whether any employees received follow-up.
That same month, according to log kept by employees, Perez made unsolicited remarks about Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s sexuality. One employee called the comments “uncomfortable.”
One of the former employees wrote that they made all CPRB members aware of Perez’s conduct in an email on July 10, 2023.
According to one of the resignation letters, OPS staff were given the opportunity to speak with board members during executive session the following day. The letter also says multiple other OPS employees have filed additional complaints with Human Resources and CPRB about Perez.
It was unclear to employees whether the complaints were supposed to be handled by city Human Resources staff or the board members, according to the records. In one communication, an employee said an HR manager told them that only CPRB could discipline Perez.
“Per the Law Department’s review of Charter 115, HR has no authority to issue any corrective action regarding Mr. Perez. [The HR Manager] told me that this authority belongs solely to the CPRB,” the employee wrote.
Signal Cleveland has also requested Perez’s personnel file and additional complaints filed by other OPS staff members.
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