The Department of Justice and the City of Cleveland have jointly requested to end federal oversight of the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP), according to a motion filed in court. This move follows more than ten years of efforts to reform police practices in Cleveland, addressing concerns raised by the DOJ in 2014 about constitutional policing.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, “We are proud to stand by the men and women of CDP as we take this significant step to end federal oversight and return control of local law enforcement to the City of Cleveland. We believe the City and CDP have demonstrated their commitment to constitutional policing, and it is time for Cleveland to fully utilize CDP’s resources to protect Clevelanders from crime.”
U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio commented on progress made: “For more than a decade, the Monitoring Team’s assessments have shown the tremendous strides that CDP has made to ensure constitutional policing, thereby increasing the community’s trust. The Division’s officers should be proud of what they have accomplished. As a valuable law enforcement partner, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work closely with CDP to reduce gun violence and drug trafficking, and to keep dangerous gang activity off the streets. We appreciate the dedication of these men and women in uniform and the hard work they do each day in their mission keep the people of Cleveland safe.”
The DOJ began investigating CDP in 2013 under Section 14141 due to allegations that officers used excessive force. The investigation found problems such as lack of accountability, insufficient training, ineffective policies, and poor community engagement contributed to unconstitutional uses of force by police officers. In response, reforms were put into place through a consent decree issued by a federal court in June 2015.
With this new motion, both parties are asking for an end to that consent decree while keeping reformed structures intact so that constitutional policing continues.
The Special Litigation Section within DOJ’s Civil Rights Division worked together with attorneys from Ohio’s Northern District during both investigation and litigation phases.
