CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Community Police Commission is seeking your input regarding police vehicle pursuit policies in the city.
“As someone whose family has been profoundly affected by the tragic consequences of a police pursuit, I understand deeply how vital it is to get these policies right,” said Cleveland Community Police Commission Co-Chair Sharena Zayed.
Sharing her first-hand experience before a crowd at Collinwood Recreation Center, Zayed made it clear something needs to change, as she and her family continue to mourn the loss of her cousin Tamia Chappman, who was killed in East Cleveland at just 13 years old during a Cleveland Police pursuit in December 2019.
“One thing that I noticed is that we lack community involvement in the formulation of a lot of these policies, but we’re here to change that,” said Zayed.
As it stands, CDP’s vehicular pursuit policy states that the act of fleeing “in and of itself is not sufficient cause to engage or continue to engage the fleeing vehicle in a pursuit.”
Captain Rob Simon said police officers can pursue if a violent felony is involved or a driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Then, he said that officer must prioritize public safety and get approval from a supervisor before beginning the chase.
“That is rape, that is murder. If your license plate is expired and you ran, have at it,” said Captain Rob Simon.
Still, Cleveland residents like Zayed are calling for more like holding officers accountable, making sure policies are clear and consistent and working to align pursuit policy with public safety priorities and community needs.
One resident said she wants the commission to instill regulations where other cities cannot pursue vehicle chases in Cleveland.
“I’m over it. I’m minding my business, and then there’s a police chase and then I’m looking at the cars and it doesn’t say anything like the City of Cleveland,” said one resident.
“That’s something that the City of Cleveland would have to address with those other suburbs,” said Simon.
As the police commission gathers the community’s feedback, others like Gregory Yearout said he wants answers for his son’s death.
“I haven’t heard or gotten any calls,” said Yearout.
RELATED: 6 months later and still no answers for family of man killed in crash after Cleveland police pursuit
Michael Yearout died on February 19 when he ran a red light and crashed his car into the undercarriage of a semi at W. 117th and Bellaire in Linndale.
OSHP confirmed Cleveland pursued Michael at some point, and there is surveillance video that shows the officer got behind Michael with lights on after Michael started to turn left where it's prohibited but corrected himself.
News 5 investigators uncovered an internal city memo that said a member of the division was engaged in a pursuit without it being called in, with the city's law director notifying the federal monitoring team.
Now, Yearout said he and his family are speaking out in hopes of getting help on the six-month anniversary of Michael’s death.
“They seemed very concerned, and hopefully they gave me some advice and I’m going to continue on it,” said Yearout.
The police commission needs your feedback by the end of this month. Click here to submit yours.
