Posted January 26, 20159:46 pm
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is participating along with numerous other community groups in responding to the Department of Justice finding that the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) engage in a pattern or practice of using excessive force.
One important part of the response is that the City will likely enter into a “Consent Decree.” A “consent decree” is an agreement in which the City agrees to take specific actions going forward without having to admit wrongdoing in the past. Mayor Frank Jackson has agreed to enter into a Consent Decree to reform the CDP and address the problems identified by DOJ in its investigation.
Many issues and questions need to be discussed with the community before determining what should be included in this Consent Decree. The DOJ invites input from the community about such topics.
Click here to read a one page summary from the DOJ about its findings that CDP engage in a pattern and practice of excessive use of force, and for details about providing suggestions on what needs to be included in the Consent Decree. For the Spanish version of the DOJ summary, click here.
You can share your ideas with the DOJ by calling (216) 622-3651 or (202) 307-6479 or by email at community.clevelandpd@usdoj.gov.
Although no deadline has been set for providing comments, the process is moving quickly and input is needed as soon as possible.
You can find the full report by the Department of Justice on its Investigation of the Cleveland Division of Police by clicking here.