CLEVELAND — There were 41 juveniles charged with homicide last year in Cuyahoga County. They were connected to 28 murders with 30 victims, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office statistics.
- Juveniles improperly handling a fire harm increase from 221 in 2022 to 293 in 2023.
- Juveniles carrying a concealed weapon increased from 195 in 2022 to 230 in 2023.
- Juveniles committing aggravated robbery increased from 167 in 2022 to 190 in 2023.
“We’re reaching a crisis point, I really believe we are,” said Tom Wetzel, University Circle Police Department. In nearly 40 years in law enforcement, Wetzel said he has never seen so much crime committed by children.
According to prosecutors, in some cases, the level of violence increases with each juvenile arrest. Wetzel has seen it. In April, body camera video shows two officers chasing a 13-year-old for trying to steal a car. Wetzel said officers were told there was no room at the juvenile detention facility, so he was released to his family.
Then, just last month, that same teenager was arrested in connection with a murder in Cleveland.
“He went from the car theft situation that resulted in injuries to our officers and now he gets a murder charge, it begs the question what if he was contained and controlled would that have happened?” said Wetzel.
"Police are doing their jobs," said Wetzel. "They’re arresting teenage criminals. “A lot of times, they haven’t even finished their police reports, and these kids are already back home,” Wetzel said.
The juvenile justice system is set up to protect the identity of children; it’s difficult for the public to find information about what happened with a specific crime that involves a juvenile suspect.
“There has been like a cloak over the process. We all want to rehabilitate low level offenders,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “But at some point, there needs to be a shift toward public safety,” he added.
That’s why O’Malley’s office is now putting the spotlight on teenage crimes; they’re taking to social media to post updates about the violent crimes kids are committing.
“We started posting significant cases that have been working their way through the juvenile system just in an effort to bring some transparency to the juvenile court process and to educate the public, ” explained O’Malley.
Wetzel said police and the courts can not solve this problem alone; he said the community must take a role.
