Cleveland Community Police Commission has final discipline say (2024)

The Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC) we know today is far more powerful than the one created in 2015. When Cleveland voters passed Issue 24 in 2021, a revamped CPC became the final authority on police policy, disciplinary decisions and training.

In 2015, the consent decree outlined a new commission with citizen members who gather community input and review police policies and training related to transparency, bias and how police interact with the residents.

The original commission could recommend new and updated policies, but the mayor and chief of police didn’t have to accept the recommendations. Issue 24 changed that.

Now, the commission is a permanent body written into the city’s charter. It can enact change.

Cleveland’s Issue 24
Voters approved the Issue 24 ballot initiative in 2021. The changes to the city’s charter created a new Community Police Commission, which has the final say on police discipline cases and officer policies. It also gave independence to an office and board that investigates and makes decisions about resident complaints.It marked a significant change in how police officers in Cleveland are disciplined, shifting more power to appointed boards and commissions.

Who does the Community Police Commission report to?

The commission is an independent body with a budget drawn from the city’s General Fund.

The mayor and City Council nominate the 13 commissioners. They do not report to the mayor, the Cleveland Division of Police, or any other city employees. The commission has its own executive director.

The city charter says that the executive director is “nominated by the Commission and appointed by the mayor.” The city and the commission dispute whether the mayor is required to accept the commission’s nominee for executive director. In 2023, Mayor Justin Bibb rejected the CPC’s nomination of Jason Goodrick to the position. (Goodrick remains the interim executive director.)

The commission has the final say on police discipline

The commission can override police discipline decisions made by the police chief, the public safety director or the Civilian Police Review Board, a nine-member group of residents that decides complaints against officers. It can also direct the review board to investigate officers’ conduct.

Residents can ask the commission to review the board’s disciplinary decisions if they think the board went too easy on an officer. If the commissioners agree, they have to hold a hearing and consider evidence. Police employees can appeal the board’s decision if they believe it was retaliation for “protected activity” like whistleblowing.

The police commission doesn’t have rules in place to hold those hearings or make decisions. Interim Executive Director Goodrick told Signal Cleveland in an email that new rules should be created early in 2024.

The Community Police Commission can also direct the Civilian Police Review Board to investigate an officer if:

• A person files a lawsuit or threatens to sue an officer.
• A court finds an officer responsible for misconduct.
• The city has paid a settlement related to an officer.

How are discipline decisions appealed to the commission?

Cleveland’s Office of Professional Standards (OPS) investigates resident complaints about officer behavior. The Civilian Police Review Board decides on discipline. If a resident or officer disagrees with a decision they would submit a petition to the CPC. They can submit a request:

• At a public meeting;
• In writing; or
• Ask a commissioner to do so on their behalf.

Commission staff has 15 days to review the petition. Commission members are supposed to publicly discuss and vote on whether to move forward with the appeal.

If the commission moves forward, the next step is to hear evidence. As of January of 2024, the commission had not finalized a process for hearings or voted on any appeals. They have received one appeal from a resident.

The commission has the final say on police policy and training

Cleveland’s charter gives the commission “final authority” over the policies police have to follow and on how they are trained.

Commission members review drafts of new training, according to Goodrick. The commission has not needed to “assert any authority over training,” he said in an email.

The commission doesn’t have a role in negotiating union contracts, but it can make recommendations on policies that would impact commissioners’ ability to do their work.

At its final meeting of 2023, the commission also voted to require the CPC’s final approval on general police orders and divisional notices that impact policy. General police orders are updates to police and department policies, while divisional notices are similar to announcements that sometimes include procedure changes.

How is the commission’s work paid for?

The commission budget must be at least $1 million a year, unless the commissioners request less. The city charter requires that the budget increase with either inflation or with the size of the police budget (whichever number is bigger).

The commission submits a budget proposal for City Council to approve each year. The commission’s 2023 budget totalled $2,089,717. About $1 million of that was set aside for the CPC’s community grants program.

How are conflicts with the city or the police department handled?

The commission is represented by a lawyer from the city’s Law Department. When the commission and Cleveland have a conflict of interest, the commission can hire an outside lawyer to represent itself at taxpayer expense. According to the city charter, the commission can determine a conflict of interest at its own discretion.

Residents can make public comments at commission meetings

The commission has to give residents a “reasonable opportunity” for public comment during its meetings, according to the city charter.

People can attend the monthly commission meetings as well as committee meetings. The schedule of meetings is on the commission’s calendar.

There is no sign-up to make public comments in person. People can show up to the meeting and line up to speak during the public comment period. Residents can also send in public comments via the CPC’s contact page.

During the commission’s monthly meetings, 30 minutes near the start of the meeting is set aside for public comment. A second comment period happens at the end if time allows. There is no time limit on individual comments. There is also a shorter public comment period during committee meetings.

The guidelines provided in the monthly meeting agenda ask public commenters to be brief and state their name and where they live. The guidelines also say that commissioners will “generally” not respond to public comments.

The commission awards violence prevention and justice grants

The commission’s community grants program awards up to $50,000 each to Cleveland-based programs focusing on violence prevention, restorative justice and mediation. Nonprofits and residents with a fiscal sponsor are eligible.

The budget for grants must be at least 0.5% of the police department’s budget. In 2023 that was more than $13 million, and the commission received a little over $1 million for the grant program. Applications opened during the summer, and community groups had about a month to apply.

In 2023, the commission gave $1.08 million to 26 community groups, according to Commissioner John Adams.

How does the commission work with community members?

Much of the commission’s work happens in work groups and committee meetings. Community members are welcome to attend and participate in work groups, which can change over time. Active work groups and their chairs are listed on the CPC website.

In 2023, work groups included the Police Training Committee’s Use of Force Work Group and the Police Policy Committee’s Behavioral Health and Crisis Intervention Work Group.

To connect with a work group and learn how to participate, residents can reach out to work group chairs. Contact information is listed on the CPC’s committee pages. Check which committee a work group falls under if you want to get involved.

Community Police Commission pop quiz