Cleveland Division of Police


The Cleveland Division of Police is the governmental agency responsible for law enforcement in the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
Under mayor Justin Bibb, Dornat "Wayne" Drummond is the current Interim Director of Public Safety, and Dorothy Todd is Chief of Police.
In 2014, the Justice Department concluded an investigation into the CDP which found that the CDP had demonstrated a "pattern... of unreasonable and unnecessary use of force" and used "guns, Tasers, 'impact weapons', pepper spray and fists in excess, unnecessarily or in retaliation" and that officers "carelessly fire their weapons, placing themselves, subjects, and bystanders at unwarranted risk of serious injury or death." The CDP is currently operating under a consent decree to address these systemic issues.

History

Beginnings

Prior to 1850, the preservation of the peace was left to an elected city marshal who was assisted by a number of constables and night watchmen. Concerns over the adequacy of this arrangement had led, in 1837, to the formation of the Cleveland Grays, a private military company, for the partial stated purpose of assisting local law enforcement when and if the need arose. In 1850, city council formally appointed the first night watch. In 1866, under enabling legislation passed by the Ohio General Assembly called the Metropolitan Police Act, the Cleveland Police Department was formed, headed by a board of police commissioners tasked with the job of appointing a superintendent of police as well as a number of patrol officers.
The department's early years were not without challenge and it underwent two reorganizations prior to 1893. By the end of the century, however, the climate had begun to calm and the city saw improvements in service. The department had begun to innovate by adopting a callbox system, beginning the use of police wagons, and forming a mounted unit. In 1903, the department took on its current form when the General Assembly repealed the Metropolitan Police Act and the responsibility for the formation and control of the department was given to the city.
A famous painting called the passing policemen that was one hanging up at Cleveland City Hall. It was painted in the early day of the creation of the department. It portrays a policeman and a young child walking down a street talking.

Pre-World War II

From the early 1900s to the start of World War II, the department concentrated on managing the city's rapid growth. Cleveland was rapidly growing, even through the Great Depression, with the population increasing from 380,000 in 1900, to more than 830,000 by the 1920s. The police department grew with the city, growing from less than 400 officers in 1900, to more than 1,300 by 1920. When legendary Prohibition-era crimefighter Eliot Ness became director of public safety in 1935, he abolished the existing system of precincts and reorganized the city into police districts, with each commanded by a captain. Ness's system is still in use today. Under Ness, the Division of Police has experimented with new technologies and procedures, gaining a reputation as one of the most progressive and efficient departments in the nation.

Post-World War II

While the population of the city remained stable through the 1940s and 1950s, the police department continued to grow, with more than 2,000 officers by 1960. However, the 1960s saw relations between the department and the city's growing Black community begin to deteriorate. In 1966, even though Cleveland was over a third Black, only 165 of Cleveland's 2,200 police officers were Black, adding to the distrust between the Black community and the Division of Police especially in events leading up to the Hough Riots and Glenville Shootout.
After his retirement from the United States Air Force, General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. became Cleveland's public safety director, from February 1970, appointed by Mayor Carl Stokes. He resigned in July 1970, not feeling that Stokes was supporting him sufficiently, and that "enemies of law enforcement" were receiving support from within Stokes' administration.
By the 1970s, the department, like the rest of the city government, was suffering from Cleveland's failing economy. Aging equipment could not be replaced, and the department saw its numbers drop by more than 700 by the end of the decade. This, along with rising crime rates left the police department with a reputation as a disorganized and demoralized force that would take decades to lose. Further aggravating the situation, The City of Cleveland was found guilty of discriminating against minorities in hiring, promoting, and recruiting government officials, specifically police officers, by a federal court in 1977. As a result of this judgement, the department was forced to place an emphasis on rebuilding community relations and recruiting minorities. By 1992, the number of police officers increased by more than 300 officers to 1,700, of whom 26% were black. During the administration of Michael White the department began to focus on community policing and rebuilding the damaged relationship between the department and the community. Nonetheless, during the White administration the role of police chief was "a revolving door of chiefs".
Under the Jane L. Campbell administration of 2002–06, the Division of Police laid off more than 200 officers. The Police Aviation Unit was grounded. Ports and Harbor was disbanded, even the CDP Mounted unit was disestablished. The department was again seen as a demoralized force during the Campbell administration.
Under mayor Frank Jackson, nine previously laid-off patrol officers were reinstated and a new class of police officers has graduated from the academy. Mayor Jackson has reduced the number of Police Districts from six to five and has ordered police to be aggressive in the fight against crime. The CDP mounted unit has been restored and those mounted officers patrol the downtown area. Mayor Jackson has had only one chief of police: Michael McGrath, as head of administration, as opposed to other administrations. The Cleveland Police are also investigating the possibility of remodeling certain aspects of the department after the NYPD, including initializing a CompStat system.
Under Mayor Jackson, the department has also embarked upon a program of increased cooperation and coordination with other law enforcement agencies in the region. Since 2011, the Division has employed a LEVA Certified Specialist to capture, examine, compare and evaluate all recorded audio/video evidence that can be associated with crimes within the city. This has yielded convictions in cases from simple burglary up to and including high-profile homicide cases. It is part of the city's commitment to leveraging technology to create a safer city. Cleveland Police have recently formed a financial crimes unit. Mayor Jackson has restored the Cleveland Police Aviation Unit and there have been talks about turning control of the unit over to the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department so as to allow the unit to provide aerial services to the suburbs as well as the central city. A reorganized marine patrol was unveiled in 2010 in partnership with the sheriff and the Lakewood and Euclid city departments. Changes to the command structure have included the assignment of a department commander to supervise the department's intelligence and crime analysis operations as well as coordinate the department's efforts with those of the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center.
In 2017, Cleveland Police became the final group of the city's first responders to carry the naloxone nasal spray Narcan, the opioid antagonist that can reverse the effects of a drug overdose. 150 zone cars were initially equipped with the drug, with roll-out to the remaining fleet to follow. More than 900 officers were in the first group to receive Narcan administration training, with the focus on patrol officers who answer 911 calls. Some detectives were also trained. The kits that police use contain twice the dosage of those used by firefighters and EMS technicians, as police may have to dispense several doses of the drug to counteract an overdose. The division typically is faced with several overdoses per day. Overall, Cuyahoga County suffered 228 opioid overdose deaths in 2015, 666 in 2016, and 775 in 2017.
In 2021, the Safer Cleveland Ballot Initiative passed, creating the Cleveland Community Police Commission composed of 13 civilians with final decision-making power regarding discipline in police misconduct cases.
In 2023, Patrol Officer Karl Lloyd‘s salary exceeded that of Mayor Justin Bibb. Lloyd earned a base salary of $73,868 with an additional $143,036.28 in overtime that totaled over $200,000 for the fiscal year.

Notable cases involving the CDP