Below are archived pages that present the history of some of the work done under the Consent Decree. Any links, surveys, or web forms are no longer in service.
Archives
Past work under the Consent Decree
Community & Problem-Oriented Policing
Background
The City of Cleveland, Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Community Police Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, and the Court-appointed federal monitoring team are all asking for community input on CDP's Community and Problem-Oriented Policing Plan.
The Consent Decree requires the Cleveland Division of Police to “develop and implement a comprehensive and integrated community and problem-oriented policing model” to “promote and strengthen partnerships with the community … and increase community confidence in the CDP.” (Consent Decree ¶ 27). The decree also requires that the Monitoring Team, the Community Police Commission (CPC), and the CDP engage the community in identifying the strategies and approaches to community policing that will best address the needs of Cleveland residents and facilitate close partnership between the community and the CDP.
Substantive community input is the first step in the development of the community and problem-oriented policing plan and the Division’s plan must be a direct response to what the community wants. To that end, the parties are working together to solicit and receive input on what Cleveland residents would like to see in the Division’s Plan.
The Division does not have a draft Community and Problem-Oriented Policing Plan yet. This stage is an effort to learn what residents want. After the receiving this feedback, the Division will then draft a Community and Problem-Oriented Policing Plan. Once the draft is complete, the CDP will present the Community and Problem-Oriented Policing Plan to the Cleveland community.
Overview Materials
Video Overview of the Cleveland Consent Decree and Its Required Community and Problem-Oriented Policing Plan
Video Overview
Watch a video presentation providing a summary on the Consent Decree process and how community and problem-oriented policing fits in. This video was produced in conjunction with Cuyahoga Community College.
OVERVIEW OF KEY COMMUNITY & Problem-oriented policing concepts
Download a discussion guide providing an overview of the key components of community and problem-oriented policing. The guide identifies core concepts – such as collaborative problem-solving, community partnerships, and community engagement – as well as information on related areas, including the Division's staffing and deployment, recruitment and hiring, and officer and Division-wide evaluation.
Proposed Crisis Intervention Policies
The Division of Police and Consent Decree process need your feedback on proposed new policies for officers on interacting with individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.
The Department of Justice’s 2014 investigation indicated that “officers use excessive force against individuals who are in mental health crisis” – in part because the Division’s “crisis intervention policies and practices [we]re underdeveloped.” The Consent Decree includes a host of requirements aimed at “build[ing] upon and improv[ing]” the Division of Police's crisis intervention programs. In particular, the Decree envisions that the Division’s Crisis Intervention Program provide a forum for effective problem solving regarding the interaction between the criminal justice and the mental health care system, as well as creating a context for sustainable change.
In true partnership and close collaboration with the over-50-member Consent Decree-required Mental Health Response Advisory Committee – a group of community members representing social service providers, members of the judiciary, clinicians, behavioral health specialists, and individuals who have experienced behavioral crises – CPD has revised its policies related to interacting with individuals experiencing mental health, substance abuse, or other behavioral health challenges.
CPD, the City of Cleveland, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Mental Health Advisory Committee, and the Monitoring Team now seek community input and feedback on several of its Crisis Intervention-related policies:
- Crisis Intervention Definitions – This policy sets forth basic definitions common to all CPD policies related to crisis intervention.
- Crisis Intervention Response – This policy establishes guidelines for all CPD officers and personnel with respect to interacting with individuals who are suffering from a crisis.
- Crisis Intervention Team Program – This policy establishes guidelines for CPD officers who are part of a designated cadre of officers who are crisis intervention specialists, receiving additional, in-depth training and being dispatched to the scene of calls when officers or dispatchers identify that it may involve an individual in crisis.
Get Involved
Attend a community forum
The Mental Health Response Advisory Committee will be hosting community forums on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 on the proposed new crisis intervention policies.
1:00pm: Murtis Taylor Community Center – 13422 Kinsman Road; Cleveland, OH 44120
6:00pm: Urban Community School – 4909 Lorain Avenue; Cleveland, OH 44102
Email the Monitoring Team
You can provide your comments, feedback, and input on the proposed new policies by contacting the Monitoring Team at info@clevelandpolicemonitor.com.
Proposed Bias-Free Policing Policy
The Division of Police and Consent Decree process need your feedback on proposed new policies on bias-free policing.
The Consent Decree requires that the Division of Police establish a bias-free policing policy that incorporates, as appropriate, previous recommendations developed by the Commission, and that provides clear guidance to officers that biased policing, including deciding to detain a motorist or pedestrian based solely on racial stereotypes, is prohibited. As work in other areas continues, CPD will integrate bias-free policing principles into its management, policies and procedures, job descriptions, recruitment, training, personnel evaluations, resource deployment, tactics, and accountability systems.
CPD, the City of Cleveland, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Community Police Commission, and the Monitoring Team now seek community input and feedback on the Division's proposed Bias-Free Policing Policy.
This policy is in draft form. It has not yet been approved by the Court, the Monitoring Team, or the Department of Justice and has not yet been finalized by the Division of Police or the City. Instead, it is a complete draft of the policy about which the Division of Police needs feedback. The Court, Monitoring Team, Department of Justice, and City will more formally weigh in after CPD has considered community feedback and made further refinements on the policy.
Get Involved
provide feedback
You can provide your comments on the proposed new Bias-Free Policing Policy by sending your comments and views using the following form. Submissions will go directly to the Monitoring Team.
A few things to keep in mind: If you are experiencing an emergency, need to report a crime, or need law enforcement assistance, you should call 9-1-1 or contact the CPD directly.
The Monitor does not, and cannot, investigate individual incidents or events. If the comments that you share suggest the possibility of officer misconduct, the Monitoring Team has an obligation to forward them to the Office of Professional Standards (OPS) for review and potential investigation.
The Monitoring Team cannot specifically respond to all comments or views received. This does not mean, however, that the Monitoring Team is not closely reviewing all community input received here – it will be.
Although we do not require your name, phone number, zip code, or email address, providing them will better enable us to have confidence that you are a Cleveland resident, member of the Cleveland Division of Police, or otherwise connected to the Cleveland community – and to credit your views accordingly.
attend a community police commission town hall forum
You may also attend two staff-facilitated town halls regarding the draft bias-free policing policy that are being conducted by the Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC):
Tuesday, September 19th at 6:00pm, Third District Station (4501 Chester Avenue)
Thursday, September 21st at 6:00pm, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (1355 W. 70th Street - in the gymnasium behind the Church.)
Email the Monitoring Team
You can provide your comments, feedback, and input on the proposed new policies by contacting the Monitoring Team at info@clevelandpolicemonitor.com.
Get Informed
Background & Overview on the Policies
Background
The City of Cleveland, Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Community Police Commission, United States Department of Justice, and the Court-appointed federal monitoring team are all asking for community feedback on the CPD's proposed new Use of Force policy, and some other related policies.
The Consent Decree between the United States and City of Cleveland requires, among other things, that the Cleveland Division of Police ("CPD") "revise, develop, and implement force policies . . . with the goal of ensuring that force is used in accordance with the Constitution." (Consent Decree ¶ 45.)
Early in the reform process, the Community Police Commission ("CPC") convened a series of community forums and listening sessions. They prepared an in-depth report that summarized the experiences, history, views, values, and interests of Cleveland's diverse communities with respect to force. At the same time, the Division of Police gathered input, experiences, and feedback from CPD officers on the use of force policies, also preparing an in-depth summary report of what was heard. Subsequently, CPD set to work on revising the Division's use of force policy to be both consistent with the Consent Decree's requirements and the values of the community.
We have now come to the point where it is time for community feedback on the specific Use of Force and related policies that have resulted from this process. The Consent Decree stakeholders are all aiming to work together to solicit and receive input on these policies from the Cleveland community.
The policies are not yet final. Instead, they reflect CPD's efforts to date to create a policy that complies with the Consent Decree. None of the Court, Monitor, City, or Department of Justice have yet signed off on or approved the policies. That will happen only after the community engagement process. Indeed, these policies are likely to change further as community feedback is directly incorporated.
The development of the policies is far enough along, however, that community input is timely and necessary.
Overview Materials
Video Overview of Proposed New Use of Force Policies for CPD
Video Overview
Watch a 9-minute video presentation, with Monitor Matthew Barge and Deputy Monitor Charles Ramsey, about the proposed new use of force policy, produced in conjunction with Cuyahoga Community College.
summary of key changes
Download a 1-page summary of the key differences between CPD's prior use of force policy and the proposed new policy.
use of force fact sheet
Download a 4-page summary of the most important provisions of CPD's proposed new use of force policy.
Proposed New Policies
Review the Proposed New Policies on Use of Force
Proposed New Use of Force Policies
UPDATED NOV. 15, 2016: At two community roundtables regarding the proposed Use of Force policies available below, Consent Decree stakeholders indicated that they would answer all questions submitted from the small breakout groups – and post the answers on the Monitoring Team's website. The Questions & Answers from those Community Roundtable events can be found here.
UPDATED OCT. 4, 2016: There are now five (5) related CPD "General Police Orders" that are currently the subject of community comment and feedback.
The first and most important is the Use of Force: General policy. The General policy tells officers when force is authorized and when it is not authorized. Although the other policies are important, this is the core policy related to force that governs officer performance on the streets of Cleveland. The other policies build off of, correspond, or explain this core policy.
The second policy is a Use of Force: Definitions policy. This policy provides guidance on the meaning of specialized terms used throughout the other documents.
The third policy is a Use of Force: De-Escalation policy. Although an officer's duty to de-escalate situations where it is safe and feasible to do so is contained within the General policy, the De-Escalation policy goes into greater detail about this important requirement.
The fourth policy is the Use of Force: Intermediate Weapons policy. It contains a number of policies about particular types of force instruments or tools that officers use, such as the baton, OC (or pepper) spray, and Taser.
The final policy (posted Oct. 4, 2016) is a Use of Force Reporting policy. That policy spells out the requirements for officers to report force and the basic expectations that officers can have about the Division of Police's response to force depending on the nature and severity of the force used.
Have Your Voice Heard
Provide Feedback on the Proposed Force Policies
There are several ways to make your voice heard on the proposed new force policies.
Community Feedback & Survey Form
You can participate in the Consent Decree process directly by sending your comments and views using a specialized Feedback and Survey Form.
Click here to leave feedback and take the feedback survey.
Attend a Community Roundtable
The Consent Decree stakeholders – including the City, Cleveland Division of Police, Community Police Commission, and Department of Justice – will be holding two community roundtables. At each roundtable event, the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team will provide an overview of the Use of Force policies. Participants then will have in-depth, small group discussions about the policies, with an opportunity to report their views to representatives of the Consent Decree stakeholders and to the larger community group assembled.
There are two roundtables planned:
If you are interested in attending a community roundtable, click on the roundtable above that you would like to attend and follow the registration prompts. Given the small-group discussion format of the evening, the stakeholders are asking for this advance sign-up.
Stay Connected
Text CLEMONITOR to 22828 (your carrier's standard text message charges will apply) to be added to the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team's email list. You will receive updates and ongoing news from the Monitoring Team about the status of the force policies and other Consent Decree work.