CLEVELAND — City leaders hosted neighbors in Old Brooklyn to talk about safety Wednesday night.
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This comes after 21-year-old Janet Reyes was killed in a car crash involving a stolen Kia at Pearl and Altoona Roads.
Reyes was visiting family in Cleveland when she was killed. She is the second victim to be killed in a crash involving a stolen Kia in the last month.
Cleveland City Councilman Kris Harsh, who serves the Old Brooklyn neighborhood, said an understaffed Cleveland Police Department does not help matters. Harsh said the department is down 250 officers and recently passed up 98 people who wanted to be officers.
"For some reason, they identified reasons why 98 people should not be invited, and instead, they invited 17," Harsh said. "17 does not replace the amount of people leaving and retiring this month. That's 98 people who wanted to be police officers; they weren't even invited to academy."
Many at Wednesday night's meeting said they are fed up with crime, mainly car thefts.
Old Brooklyn resident Sherry Howell said she thinks more officers would help.
"What happened to that young lady is very sad. Seeing the stolen Kias, I see them all the time ripping and running through the highway," Howell said.
Howell said she called the police to her home in Old Brooklyn on July 27 and August 4.
"I called the dispatch. I had reported some illegal activity that was going on, dispatcher told me we'll send the police out. No police came; hours went by," Howell said.
News 5 reached out to Cleveland Police for comment and is waiting to hear back.
Meanwhile, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley was asked several times how the teenagers driving that stolen Kia would be charged and if their parents could also be held accountable.
"We've got to encourage the parents you've got a keep an eye on your children, you have to make sure where they're at, because if they're not home...that's on you," O'Malley said.
Cleveland has a nighttime minor curfew law. But Cleveland City Council President Blaine A. Griffin said it is rarely enforced.
However, when it is enforced, on a second offense, a parent could be charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor, which is equivalent to a speeding ticket.
Earlier this week, we told you about a push from Mike Polensek to increase penalties for breaking curfew.
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