CLEVELAND — Cleveland Police are making "demonstrable progress" towards meeting requirements mandated by a federal consent decree but failed to make progress or regressed in other key areas, according to the 13th Semiannual Report from The Independent Monitoring Team overseeing the city's massive police reforms.
The report is the first from the city's new monitoring team, which was selected earlier this year and is led by Karl Racine, the first elected attorney general of Washington, D.C.
Use of Force
The report said, "Use of force is an area where the City has excelled as much has been accomplished since the start of the Consent Decree."
The report went on to state that the city continues to make progress related and said, "Implementation and adherence to the details of the policies and the language of the Consent Decree, as well as establishing systems to critically assess itself in a way that demonstrates a commitment to operational excellence, will move the City closer to compliance."
The agreement between the City of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice was signed after a DOJ investigation found Cleveland police officers "engage in a pattern or practice of excessive force."
The DOJ investigation was opened after a Cleveland police chase and shooting killed two unarmed people on Nov. 29, 2012.
Crisis Intervention
The report said Cleveland's "strong work in crisis intervention is praiseworthy," and training "remains an impressive area of progress."
The Cleveland Department of Public Health over the work from the Mental Health Response Advisory Committee. (MHRAC), which is an "important step" in the Consent Decree process, according to the report.
However, it said Cleveland police continue to work with the MHRAC to provide training programs for police officers and telecommunication specialists.
Community Engagement and Building Trust, Bias-Free Policing, and Transparency and Oversight also received upgraded ratings in the latest report, which was filed in federal court Monday night.
Community and Problem-Oriented Policing
The report noted other areas where progress stalled or received downgraded ratings.
For example, the report said the department has failed to adopt Community and Problem-Oriented Policing, which involves working with community members to identify the root causes of neighborhood issues and create solutions.
Despite developing a training curriculum, the report said the city "regressed in its compliance" and was downgraded to non-compliance as a result of inadequate delivery of the new training.
The report said the training officers currently receive may be part of the problem. During an in-service training class observed by members of the monitoring team, the report said they "observed a lack of engagement by participants, poor classroom management, and omissions of significant portions of the curriculum."
Supervision & Staffing
The monitoring team was also critical of the department's supervisors.
It found supervisors fail to conduct routine audits of body-worn camera footage obtained by officers and that supervisors should also improve their efforts to "mentor, coach, and care for personnel."
The report also said Cleveland should "concentrate efforts to recruit, hire, retain, and creatively deploy its members" despite being impacted by a staffing crisis affecting law enforcement departments around the U.S.
READ MORE: Dangerously Understaffed
For close to two years, News 5 Investigators have reported on the high number of departures from the department that started during the pandemic.
Since Jan. 2020, 648 officers have left the department.
The department is currently short close to 300 officers, based on this year's budget.
News 5 Investigators reached out to the Cleveland Division of Police for a comment.
Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz, Public Information Officer, said Police Chief Wayne Drummond was out of town.
There is a status conference hearing next week in front of U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver, who has overseen the city's consent decree since it was signed in 2015.
