CLEVELAND — Sherry Howell is a Cleveland homeowner who is concerned about safety and police response time in light of the ongoing Cleveland police staffing shortage.
Howell told News 5 she's repeatedly had to call police about disturbances in her neighborhood this year, and even though she understands there is a shortage of officers, she worried police are taking too long to get to her home.
“Pretty much living here two-and-a-half years, and it’s just been unsafe; I’ve been harassed multiple times," Howell said. "I'll call for police at 10 PM, they’ll come around 2 AM, or sometimes they or sometimes they don’t even show up. It’s been multiple times where I have called in."
Howell believes the City of Cleveland needs to do more in stepping up the hiring of new officers as the department continues to run some 300 officers short.
“I really think that it’s unfortunate, but I also think the city needs to take an initiative and offer more incentives," Howell said. “I think the city needs to look at that and re-evaluate their process for hiring these police officers.”
Cleveland Councilman and Cleveland Safety Committee Chairman Michael Polensek referenced a recent memo he sent out stating the city acknowledged it had 295 potential police cadets apply for becoming an officer, but 110 of the applicants backed out, and another 98 were "passed over" and were deemed unqualified for the job by the administration without a detailed explanation. Polensek said of the 295 potential applicants, only 11 cadets graduated in the last police class.
”You have 295 people apply, and you wind up with 11. Something is wrong with that picture," Polensek said. "The city council, we have the right to know why. That has been of great concern to the members of the body, the 98, plus you had 110 that just disqualified themselves that just backed out; why?”
Polensek said the Cleveland police shortage is not being adequately addressed at a time when crime, violence and police response times are growing.
“We don’t see the police patrols, we don’t see the traffic enforcement, the car theft issue, it all equates down to the number of police officers working the street," Polensek said. “Where’s the recruitment plan? Where’s the marketing plan that we have been waiting for for 17 months? You have more people leaving. We have over 90 that have left so far this year. You’re going to hire maybe 40 if you’re lucky, so we’re not even treading water at this point.”
Cleveland Department of Public Safety Chief Director Karrie Howard quickly responded to our story and issued the following statement on police recruitment efforts:
"We will not sacrifice quality over quantity to address public safety.
We are doing everything possible to recruit, attract, and retain the next generation of officers who fit our values around constitutionally-appropriate policing. Sacrificing quality only undermines the progress that we’ve made under the consent decree since 2014 – hence why the Administration has a Police Accountability Team, Community Police Commission, and continues to invest in new training that meets 21st century policing standards.
We have high standards because the public – through the passage of Issue 24 – has made it clear they demand best-in-class officers. Our public safety forces must consist of the best and brightest officers because the public deserves nothing less. We also owe that to our current officers and their families to ensure that they can count on qualified and competent colleagues."
Still, Ward 16 Councilman and safety committee member Brian Kazy believes more needs to be done to get more cadets graduated and on the streets.
‘We haven’t hired enough police officers in three years to keep up with the attrition that’s leaving," Kazy said. “We need to start hiring people. We need to stop pandering to the ideology that we have to have the perfect recruit. That’s why we have an academy."
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