Justice Department Reaches Settlement to Overhaul Cleveland Police

— -- Just days after protests over a police shooting verdict rocked Cleveland, the Justice Department said it has reached a settlement with the city to overhaul a police department that has shown a “pattern and practice” of unnecessary force. The settlement comes after a Cleveland patrolman was acquitted Friday for his role in the fatal shootings of two unarmed black people in 2012.

In announcing the agreement today, Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta said, “Today, Cleveland demonstrates to the rest of the country that people can come together across perceived differences to realize a common vision of a safer, more just city.”

Gupta said the DOJ investigation of the Cleveland Police revealed that many officers have not been properly trained in the use of force, or community policing.

The agreement will now require the Cleveland Police to provide improved training and guidance on when and how officers may use force. “Officers will be trained to use de-escalation techniques, rather than force, whenever possible. In addition, if force is used, officers will immediately provide emergency first aid as necessary,” Gupta said.

In addition, officers will receive training related to bias-free policing. In an effort to address the distrust between the police and the community, the agreement sets up a new Community Police Commission, representing faith-based organizations, civil rights advocates, police unions, the business/philanthropic community and youth organizations, “to work with the Police to improve community policing, bias-free policing and transparency.”

The agreement also calls for the placement of a civilian at the head of Internal Affairs to help ensure that internal investigations of misconduct are reliable. That could cause controversy with rank-and-file officers, but Police Chief Calvin Williams said he was OK with having a civilian head up internal affairs.

“This just adds another layer of accountability," Williams said.

Mayor Frank Jackson said, “This is really a defining moment for the city of Cleveland. It will define who we are as a people, who we are as a city.”

The agreement contains 105 pages of reforms, including:

-- Reforms in the way that CDP recruits, selects, guides, trains, supervises, investigates and disciplines officers to ensure that officers are practicing constitutional, community-oriented policing, and that officers who fall short of this standard are held accountable.

-- CDP will develop an Equipment and Resource Plan for necessary equipment, including computers and safe vehicles, to submit to the independent monitor.

-- CDP will implement an effective employee assistance program that provides officers ready access to the mental health and support resources necessary to facilitate effective and constitutional policing.

-- The Division of Police must also create a Mental Health Response Advisory Committee that will foster relationships and build support between police, the community and mental health providers. The Division of Police will ensure all officers receive core training in responding to individuals in crisis, and Specialized Crisis Intervention Trained officers will receive advanced training.

“In light of the work that has already been done," Gupta said. "I feel confident that transformation is coming to Cleveland."

The protests in Cleveland over the Memorial Day weekend were triggered by the acquittal of Officer Michael Brelo on manslaughter charges in the deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams in 2012. Russell and Williams were killed after they allegedly led police on a long car chase across Cleveland that eventually grew to more than 60 police cars.

Prosecutors charged that once the car was finally stopped, more than a dozen officers fired more than 100 rounds into the vehicle. Officer Brelo was accused of climbing in the hood of the car and shooting 15 rounds through the windshield, striking Russell and Williams.

The Justice Department said it is continuing its investigation of that shooting, despite Brelo’s acquittal, and it could bring federal civil rights charges against the officer.