Early word on Cleveland’s glistening new Horseshoe Casino is over-whelmingly positive, based on an in-depth analysis of giddy morning TV news shows and that tingly feeling city leaders get from seeing white people downtown at night.
But a different version of the casino’s impact is emerging among cops charged with patrolling Dan Gilbert’s new funhouse on Public Square.
Cleveland Police’s entire 40-man Downtown Services Unit — which you used to know as the fellas who kept the populace safe from the Flats to Cleveland State and beyond — is now tending to nickel slot machines around the clock.
“Our sole purpose is to guard the casino,” says one of them. It’s a formula that frees up lots of prime acreage for downtown car thieves and rapists to ply their trade in peace.
During roll call on Monday morning, a call came in for a robbery in progress at a business on East 30th, featuring an assailant valiantly using a victim as a human shield. The nearby Downtown Services Unit could not be bothered — it was busy keeping your Aunt Lucille from cutting in line outside the Horseshoe; instead, cops were called in from 70 blocks away to deal with the crisis, which presumably broke for coffee until authorities could get there.
Meanwhile, the casino is also paying off-duty cops for security work. So if Horseshoe gamblers aren’t coming out ahead so far, at least double-dipping policemen are.
One downtown officer says the extra attention at the Horseshoe isn’t likely to continue forever, though he worries about the circumstances that could change that.
“It’ll take an event like somebody getting mugged two blocks away,” he says. “And then there’ll be a media backlash.”
As for life inside the casino? Another cop on the beat confirms the worst: “You go in late at night and it’s like living in Detroit.” Ouch.
This article appears in May 16-22, 2012.
I realize that beating up on the Patrol Officers of the Cleveland Police Dept’s downtown unit can be easy, however please realize that the Patrolmen and Women take their orders from others. If they are told to patrol the Casino and nowhere else, then they must do that, ignoring those orders would and could possiby cost them their jobs.
Isn’t it blatantly obvious that patrols and attention of this magnitude
Would be expected at least in the short term. I’m sure after the department has an idea of what to expect and the hubbub dies down around the casino’s opening less police will be instructed to strictly “protect the casino” . And like every city with minimal budgets and dealing with the squeeze the recession has put on all social services, even police, isn’t it a little cynical to pick on officers looking for extra cash working security? Pretty lame attempt at lampooning the easiest target of all, city police. congratulations on one thin though, you’ve just managed to get me to defend cops!
How is working off-duty for the casino “double-dipping”? I get it that it sucks that “all” of the downtown units are concentrating on this newly opened, high visibility venue, but this isn’t a reason to bust on the guys & girls on the street…
At Presque Isle Downs in Erie, PA State Police provide security with an actual Police Station within the Casino. It works out great for everyone – no safety issues get short-changed, no off-duty officers working beyond their shift, no officers pulled from one area to augment another, and the HEAT is right there, right NOW.
I am sure if there were any less police presence, Scene would be snarkily bitching that see-I-told-you-so rant about casinos bringing more crime and no one caring. If you want to actually do something a reporter might, see if there was any significant spike in crime away from the casino area. As for the double-dipping, were you expecting police to volunteer their off-duty time?
Cops get what, 45 thousand a year? That’s not much if you have kids and a mortgage. So what if someone responsible enough to do so, works a second job. Sheesh!
I’m not upset at the patrol officers for following orders and staying in the casino, I’m upset that the superiors are ordering the officers to only patrol the casino. Sadly, it’s going to take someone getting seriously hurt or killed for the public to get pissed off enough to demand a change in this policy.