April 3, 2024: Safety Committee, Cleveland City Council
Covered by Documenters Barbara Phipps (notes) and Stésià Swain (live-tweets)
Questions about hate crimes in Cleveland
Cleveland Chief of Police Dorothy Todd addressed some council members’ concerns about hate crimes in Cleveland.
Council Member Charles Slife, Ward 17, said some recent public commenters at council’s Monday night meetings have referenced hate crimes – particularly those involving Palestinian, Muslim and Jewish community members.
He asked if there has been an increase in hate crimes. Todd said the city has not seen an uptick. A few individuals are involved in recurring incidents, she said.
Slife said seeing the exact numbers would be helpful. He also said Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration should reconsider its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, which protects the rights of victims of violent crimes.
The city references the law to redact or limit information – such as the names of offenders or accused offenders – in daily safety reports given to council, Slife said. He added that this practice hurts council members’ capacity to help with community safety.
Safety officials said they would work with council and the law department to review what information is shared.
Number of new Cleveland police
Council members also asked about the new police cadet class. Council Member Mike Polensek, who chairs the Safety Committee, expressed doubt that the city will meet its target number of new Cleveland police officers this year.
The 2024 city budget allows for 181 new police officers, and the new class has 49 recruits. It began with 52. One resigned due to religious reasons, another due to health reasons, and the third due to fitness standards, according to Todd.
Interim Director of Public Safety Wayne Drummond told council members the cadet class is a large one. Previous classes have had 10 to 15 recruits total, he said. Drummond added that the city hopes to have another large class after this one.
Food and beverage
Cleveland police may soon have a more regular funding source for community engagement activities.
The committee advanced legislation that would establish a $50,000 reimbursement fund for expenses related to community engagement. The money would be divided evenly across Cleveland’s five police districts.
In the past, officials have asked council members to pitch in on costs for community engagement events, Polensek said. The fund would help cover costs such as food and beverage.
The legislation needs the full council’s approval.
Read the notes from Documenter Barbara Phipps:
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Stésià Swain:
