As Cleveland continues its nearly 10-year effort to reform its police force under a consent decree agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration filed a new report in federal court that details its progress.
The 16th Status Report is the city’s take on police reforms such as crisis intervention, bias-free policing, search and seizure policies, accountability, transparency and oversight.
The 18-page document outlines improvements noted by Cleveland’s Police Accountability Team and does not have any feedback from the federal monitors overseeing the consent decree. A new report from the federal monitor is expected in the coming weeks.
The report provides several examples of improvements.
It says that the city is “firmly committed to enhancing transparency and oversight” and has worked with federal officials and monitors to change the long-vacant position of inspector general, the report states.
The new inspector general will report to the city’s public safety director instead of the police chief. This “provides the IG with the necessary independence to conduct their duties as outlined in the Consent Decree,” according to the report.
The report also says the city is waiting for feedback as federal monitors assess the “2022 Stops Data Report” on all police encounters for that year.
In October, a Marshall Project – Cleveland and News 5 Cleveland analysis found that police searched Black people more than three times as often as White people during stops in 2023 — despite finding contraband at similar rates.
The city is now in its 10th year of federal oversight after years of police abuses and millions of dollars spent to settle civil rights lawsuits. The consent decree created a blueprint to repair community relationships and overhaul how officers frequently used excessive force on residents.
This article was first published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook.
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 12, 2025.