EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — Applause filled the room Friday as East Cleveland welcomed a new chief.
“They’re already talking about me. They don’t even know me. They don’t know what I’m about,” said East Cleveland Police Chief Brian Gerhard.
Already facing an overwhelming amount of pressure, Chief Brian Gerhard comes into this role after nine police officers, including the former Chief Scott Gardner, have been indicted for various alleged crimes since last August.
“I’m not going to sit there and make excuses for that video. It’s in your faces, plain and day. You see what’s going on in those videos. That’s not what we train people to do,” said Gerhard.
Then, there’s the latest FBI hotline seeking tips from the public on corruption and civil rights violations from East Cleveland police.
“We don’t need those people here,” said Gerhard. “I understand there’s a narrative in the country from the shootings of George Floyd, killing of George Floyd and different shootings in Minnesota and whatnot, that’s not East Cleveland. Don’t compare us to that.”
Instead, the Chief welcomes an open-door policy.
“I can’t fix stuff if people aren’t coming to me and talking to me about stuff,” said Gerhard. “All you have to do is ask me. That’s how I’m going to police going forward and my officers are going to be respectful to the public.”
RELATED: 4 East Cleveland officers indicted for assaulting victims after traffic stops in March and April
He also plans to enforce more discipline and a zero-tolerance policy, starting with limited police chases.
“They’re not going to be chasing tinted windows, somebody running a stop sign. They’re not going to worry about crap like that. We’ve enough technology now where we can get plates and find the car. But something serious, homicide, carjacking, we’re going to go after that person but it’s going to be with more restraint,” said Gerhard.
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