CLEVELAND — The Independent Monitoring Team overseeing Cleveland police reforms told city council members that "little progress" was made during the second half of 2023 because Mayor Justin Bibb's administration decided to withhold access to records and data the team needs to complete its work.
"It's my view that this action caused waste, delay and many, many legal maneuverings that were unnecessary," Monitor Karl Racine said.
Several members of the team met with the Cleveland City Council Safety Committee Wednesday afternoon to discuss the city's progress, concerns about transparency, the cost to taxpayers, and how long Cleveland will remain under federal oversight.
Racine said the administration should be more collaborative, work with his team and put an end to "the obstructive conduct, the needless legal shenanigans, the sometimes bitter, real bitter, exchanges that don't help anybody."
Racine's statements echoed what he wrote in the monitor's 14th Semiannual Report, which was released last month. He issued a scathing indictment of the city's progress towards compliance with the federal consent decree, noting Cleveland's progress stalled during the most recent reporting period.
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From June to December 2023, Monitor Karl Racine wrote all ratings from the prior reporting period remain the same— with the exception of one downgrade. He wrote, "By any measure, this static performance— akin to running in place— is insufficient."
He also noted the city continues to delay providing documents to the Community Police Commission (CPC) and wrote he is "closely monitoring this issue to report on it in the next Semiannual Report."
He said the city has complied with providing records to the monitoring team since a federal judge ordered the city to turn over the records.
Racine also said the city's relationship with this team has improved so far this year.
"I think we can make real progress," he said. "That's certainly what the community wants and that's certainly what this monitoring team is committed to."
When will it end?
Several council members asked the monitoring team how much longer Cleveland will remain under federal oversight.
"Is there light at the end of the tunnel here?" Ward 8 Councilman Mike Polensek asked.
"There's some people that believe you folks aint never going to leave," he said. "You guys are here and the meter is running."
Since 2015, News 5 Investigators found the city has paid the federal monitoring teams more than $8 million. The current total doesn't include any bills from this year.
Members of the team said they plan to conduct a formal assessment of three critical areas including crisis intervention, search and seizure, and use of force this year.
They said the assessments are a sign the city is moving towards the completion of federally mandated reforms, but it would be difficult to set an exact date regarding when they expect the work to be finished.
The Cleveland Division of Police has been under federal oversight since May 2015 after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation found Cleveland Police engaged in a "pattern or practice" of excessive force.
