News Story (Ohio)
Mary Kilpatrick
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
May 27, 2015
Link to story
Tags: Benefits of Legal Aid, Children & Juvenile, Civil Rights
Organizations mentioned/involved: Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
DETAILS
Two community groups that asked Cleveland police to strengthen community relations and establish more rigorous reporting requirements for uses of force reporting said they got what they wanted in the 105-page consent decree released Tuesday between the city and the U.S. Department of Justice.
The groups are looking toward bias-free and the 13-member Community Police Commission to bolster relationships between citizens and police. Under the decree, Cleveland police officers must provide real details – no more “boilerplate” language – when explaining why they used force. And their supervisors would have to provide more than the perfunctory reviews of the acts.
“It raises the transparency of the whole process and it helps the community feel more engaged,” said Colleen Cotter, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.