It is a great headline for the City of Cleveland: A nearly 40% reduction in homicides over the summer months.
Data from the City of Cleveland shows 44 homicides in the summer of 2024. Compared to 70 homicides in the summer of 2023 and 67 in 2022. So far this entire year, there have been 78 homicides compared to 152 in all of 2023. According to data, there have been 78 this year compared to 152 in 2023.
“Certainly, it is a great milestone for us to celebrate, but we certainly can’t have a mission-accomplished moment,” said Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb.
“We have been working around the clock this year to put more officers on the street, to deploy more resources, and to have a more focused data-driven approach to keep our streets safe and secure.”
It is not just homicides. The mayor says the city saw a nearly 13% reduction in total violent crime this summer.
“I really think it’s been our intentional focus on collaborations at the local, state, and federal level,” he said. “Earlier this year, we launched the first ever Crime Gun Intelligence Center which is working around the clock to stop the flow of illegal guns coming into the streets of our city. We’ve also had very dedicated details to get trigger pullers off the streets.”
Bibb also credits investment in the root causes of violent crime. Including the first Neighborhood Safety Endowment fund, grassroots organizations in the faith-based and nonprofit communities help to keep young kids off the street.
“To divert them from getting involved in criminal activity so they can have a productive life,” said the mayor. “And I think all of these things working together have helped us to reduce violent crime in our city.”
Numbers aside, I asked the mayor about the way people feel, saying many families will tell us that they worry about their children’s safety.
“Data is one thing, but perception is another thing, as well,” said the mayor. “And we have more work to do.”
Bibb said he thinks it’s important to highlight the progress so residents know the trendline is going in a better direction. He pointed to speed tables installed in neighborhoods and his administration’s work to tackle more abandoned homes to help increase the feeling of community safety.
On Wednesday morning, Cleveland Police confirmed a 17-year-old was killed and a 16-year-old was hurt after a shooting overnight in Collinwood.
"We lost many lives as well this summer due to violent crime. Just last night, a young person, a teenager, was murdered. One homicide is too many," Bibb said.
As part of "Operation Heat Wave," officers beefed up patrols at Public Square. Now, if you're in that area, you'll see signs pointing out a curfew.
"I did not know there was a curfew," said Nancy Harrison, who lives on Public Square. City leaders said the curfew has been on the books for some time.
"It is going to be enforced. We're going to warn people, and then we're going to start citing individuals who are in violation of that ordinance that is currently on the books," said Cleveland Director of Public Safety Wayne Drummond.
Harrison often walks her dog on the square: "I have not personally felt unsafe, but the other evening I saw a young woman and her two children sleeping on the green grass."
The manager of "Rebol," a restaurant in the heart of Public Square, said he is in favor of a curfew, often having to clean up his restaurant space after overnight activity.
"It's way overdue. They need a curfew here because there's so many shenanigans going on at night, too much drug dealing, too much craziness down here," said Brian Gogerty of Cleveland.
Police said people passing through will not be cited.
"Some people do walk their dogs in the middle of the night. Sometimes the dogs want to walk in the middle of the night," said Harrison.
Neighbors and business owners will be watching to see if the curfew crackdown has an impact over the next few months.
"Citations particularly for people who can't afford to pay whatever they're supposed to pay rarely do any good," said Harrison.
"It's a first step. First step in the right direction," said Gogerty
Myesha Watkins, executive director of the Cleveland Peacemakers, celebrates the reduction in homicides and violent crime.
“Thank you, God,” said Watkins.
The Peacemakers is a community violence intervention organization. They work with young people who are at the highest risk of shooting or being shot in the city of Cleveland.
While she celebrates the milestone and the work by the city and community to get here, she agrees that the data doesn’t always translate.
“People in our communities will hear there’s been a drop in homicides, but they will not feel that because they’ll continue to hear gunshots and continue to bury their loved ones and friends,” she said.
Watkins told News 5 that a collective effort and investment in communities impacted by violence is key.
“Because if we’re not reaching the hearts and minds of people who’ve been impacted by violence, the chances of retaliation or choosing violence to survive will continue and then our numbers will change,” said Watkins.
She says the way to reach hearts and minds is by showing up in meaningful ways in the communities to help before the trauma. She says that work is happening and is confident they can continue to build on the gains made, but more work and investment are needed.
She says Live Free USA was in Cleveland this month and told officials it takes $10 million to address the violence. She says they’re starting small with the neighborhood safety fund to help people thrive and not just survive.
“To show up and not just respond to violence but to prevent violence, but to provide interventions,” said Watkins.
Addressing the violence of poverty and food insecurity, as well, the mayor said they’re all interconnected and part of the administration’s effort to continue to reduce violent crime.
“Hopefully, we’ll see sustainability in the numbers going down,” said Bibb.
The administration said Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Youth Opportunities Unlimited or Y.O.U. were critical in the administration’s summer safety push, providing learning experiences, jobs, and city rec programs to more than 6,500 kids.
As for hiring more officers, the mayor says they gave out 101 conditional letters at this week’s expedited hiring event. And the city says more could follow as those who failed just the physical exam can come back and retest.
On Wednesday, city officials held a news conference to discuss the crime data for this summer's Operation: Heat Wave. You can watch the news conference in the player below:
