Cleveland Division of Police
Encyclopedia
The Cleveland Division of Police is the law enforcement agency
responsible for the city of Cleveland, Ohio
. Since 2005, Michael McGrath has been the chief of police
.
, the department concentrated on managing the city's rapid growth. Cleveland was rapidly growing, even through the Great Depression
, with the population increasing from 380,000 in 1900, to more than 830,000 by the 1920s. The police department grew with the city, growing from less than 400 officers in 1900, to more than 1,300 by 1920. When legendary Prohibition
-era crimefighter Elliot Ness became director of public safety in 1935, he abolished the existing system of precincts
and reorganized the city into police district
s, with each commanded by a captain. Ness's system is still in use today. Under Ness, the police department experimented with new technologies and procedures, gaining a reputation as one of the most progressive and efficient departments in the nation.
and Glenville Shootout
.
By the 1970s, the department, like the rest of the city government, was suffering from Cleveland's failing economy. Aging equipment could not be replaced, and the department saw its numbers drop by more than 700 by the end of the decade. This, along with rising crime rates left the police department with a reputation as a disorganized and demoralized force that would take decades to lose. Further aggravating the situation, The City of Cleveland was found guilty of discriminating against minorities in hiring, promoting, and recruiting government officials, specifically police officers, by a federal court in 1977. As a result of this judgement, the department was forced to place an emphasis on rebuilding community relations and recruiting minorities. By 1992, the number of police officers increased by more than 300 officers to 1,700, of whom 26% were black. During the administration of Michael White
the department began to focus on community policing and rebuilding the damaged relationship between the department and the community. Nonetheless, during the White administration the role of Police Chief was "a revolving door of chiefs".
Under the Jane L. Campbell
administration of 2002-06, the Cleveland Police Department laid off more than 200 officers, several units including the Police Aviation Unit were grounded, Ports and Harbor were disbanded, and even the CPD Mounted (Horse) unit were disbanded. The department was again seen as a demoralized force during the Campbell administration.
, the Cleveland Police saw a rise in morale due to changes effected by Jackson and there has been a class of new police officers graduated. Mayor Jackson has restored the Cleveland Police Aviation Unit and there are plans to expand it duties to help patrol over all of Cleveland and its suburbs. Mayor Jackson has revamped the Police Districts from 6 to 5 and has ordered police to be aggressive in the fight against crime. The CPD mounted unit has been restored and those mounted officers patrol the downtown Cleveland area. The ports and harbor units will also be restored. Mayor Jackson has had one Chief of Police during his administration, as opposed to other administrations. The Cleveland Police are also investigating the possibility of remodeling certain aspects of the department after the NYPD, including initia9lizing a Compstat
system.
The department also helps their suburban Cleveland counterparts in solving crimes. Cleveland Police have technology that can look at surveillance tapes from bank robberies, this technology is a joint venture between the Cleveland Police and NASA
Glenn-Lewis Research Center. Many bank robberies in Cleveland and its suburbs have been cracked with this technology. Cleveland Police have recently formed a financial crimes unit.
interceptors for the past 25 years. However, Cleveland's continued use of the Crown Victoria is in question due to Ford's ending of the Crown Victoria in 2011, with the Chevrolet Impala
or the Dodge Charger
being viewed as replacements.
community to begin with, and played a crucial role in further escalating the situation. During the riots, four African Americans were killed and 30 people were critically injured. In addition, there were 275 arrests, while more than 240 fires were reported.
section of Cleveland from July 23 to July 28, 1968. The main incident began on the evening of July 23, 1968 in the eastern section of the Glenville neighborhood. Cleveland police officers were watching Fred Ahmed Evans and his radical militant group, who were suspected of purchasing illegal weapons. It was not clear who shot first, but Evans and the police exchanged gunfire. The shootout attracted a large crowd that was described as "mostly black, young, and 'hostile'". When it became clear that the department was ill-equipped to handle the situation, then-mayor Carl B. Stokes
called in the National Guard
. The violent acts resulted in the deaths of seven people, and injuries of fifteen others.
appointed former San Francisco, California Sheriff
Richard D. Hongisto
as chief of police
in 1977, a decision he would later come to regret. Hongisto became immensely popular in Cleveland, especially with the city's ethnic Eastern Europe
an community. The chief was also popular with the media, especially after Hongisto saved a person from a snow bank during a 1978 snowstorm
. However, on March 23, Kucinich publicly suspended Hongisto for refusing to accept civilian control. Hongisto asserted that Kucinich interfered with the operation of the department. Specifically, he stated that Kucinich's executive secretary Bob Weissman had pressured him to "punish" Kucinich opponents on the City Council
and to reward police jobs to Kucinich supporters with "questionable ethics." In turn, Kucinich charged Hongisto with insubordination
.
In a press conference televised on Good Friday
1978, Kucinich gave Hongisto 24 hours to back up his charges. Then the mayor fired the chief in front of the live television cameras. The controversial firing would be one of the underlying causes of Kucinich's near-removal from office.
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
responsible for the city of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Since 2005, Michael McGrath has been the chief of police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
.
Pre-World War II
From the early 1900s to the start of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the department concentrated on managing the city's rapid growth. Cleveland was rapidly growing, even through the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
, with the population increasing from 380,000 in 1900, to more than 830,000 by the 1920s. The police department grew with the city, growing from less than 400 officers in 1900, to more than 1,300 by 1920. When legendary Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
-era crimefighter Elliot Ness became director of public safety in 1935, he abolished the existing system of precincts
Police precinct
Police precinct is a form of division of a geographical area patrolled by a police force.Police forces using this format include:* New York Police Department* Boston Police Department* Portland Police Bureau* Seattle Police Department-See also:...
and reorganized the city into police district
Police district
Police district is a form of division of a geographical area patrolled by a police force.Police forces using this format include:* York Regional Police* Halton Regional Police Service* Baltimore Police Department* Baton Rouge Police Department...
s, with each commanded by a captain. Ness's system is still in use today. Under Ness, the police department experimented with new technologies and procedures, gaining a reputation as one of the most progressive and efficient departments in the nation.
Post-World War II
While the population of the city remained stable through the 1940s and 1950s, the police department continued to grow, with more than 2,000 officers by 1960. However, the 1960s saw relations between the department and the city's growing Black community begin to deteriorate. In 1966, even though Cleveland was over 1/3 Black, only 165 of Cleveland's 2,200 police officers were Black, adding to the distrust between the Black community and the Police Department especially in events leading up to the Hough RiotsHough Riots
The Hough Riots were race riots in the predominantly African American community of Hough in Cleveland, Ohio that took place over a six-night period from July 18 to July 23, 1966. During the riots, four African Americans were killed and 30 people were critically injured. In addition, there were 275...
and Glenville Shootout
Glenville Shootout
The Glenville Shootout was a series of events of violent acts that occurred in the Glenville section of Cleveland, Ohio, United States, from the dates of July 23–28, 1968...
.
By the 1970s, the department, like the rest of the city government, was suffering from Cleveland's failing economy. Aging equipment could not be replaced, and the department saw its numbers drop by more than 700 by the end of the decade. This, along with rising crime rates left the police department with a reputation as a disorganized and demoralized force that would take decades to lose. Further aggravating the situation, The City of Cleveland was found guilty of discriminating against minorities in hiring, promoting, and recruiting government officials, specifically police officers, by a federal court in 1977. As a result of this judgement, the department was forced to place an emphasis on rebuilding community relations and recruiting minorities. By 1992, the number of police officers increased by more than 300 officers to 1,700, of whom 26% were black. During the administration of Michael White
Michael R. White
Michael Reed White is an American politician of the Democratic party and was the 55th and longest-serving mayor of Cleveland, Ohio encompassing three four-year terms, from 1990 to 2002...
the department began to focus on community policing and rebuilding the damaged relationship between the department and the community. Nonetheless, during the White administration the role of Police Chief was "a revolving door of chiefs".
Under the Jane L. Campbell
Jane L. Campbell
Jane Louise Campbell, is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 56th and first female mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from January 1, 2002 to January 1, 2006.-Personal details:...
administration of 2002-06, the Cleveland Police Department laid off more than 200 officers, several units including the Police Aviation Unit were grounded, Ports and Harbor were disbanded, and even the CPD Mounted (Horse) unit were disbanded. The department was again seen as a demoralized force during the Campbell administration.
Present
Under current mayor Frank JacksonFrank G. Jackson
Frank George Jackson is an American attorney and politician. He is currently the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. He was elected on November 8, 2005, unseating incumbent Jane Campbell and re-elected in 2009...
, the Cleveland Police saw a rise in morale due to changes effected by Jackson and there has been a class of new police officers graduated. Mayor Jackson has restored the Cleveland Police Aviation Unit and there are plans to expand it duties to help patrol over all of Cleveland and its suburbs. Mayor Jackson has revamped the Police Districts from 6 to 5 and has ordered police to be aggressive in the fight against crime. The CPD mounted unit has been restored and those mounted officers patrol the downtown Cleveland area. The ports and harbor units will also be restored. Mayor Jackson has had one Chief of Police during his administration, as opposed to other administrations. The Cleveland Police are also investigating the possibility of remodeling certain aspects of the department after the NYPD, including initia9lizing a Compstat
CompStat
CompStat—or COMPSTAT— is the name given to the New York City Police Department's accountability process and has since been replicated in many other departments...
system.
The department also helps their suburban Cleveland counterparts in solving crimes. Cleveland Police have technology that can look at surveillance tapes from bank robberies, this technology is a joint venture between the Cleveland Police and NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Glenn-Lewis Research Center. Many bank robberies in Cleveland and its suburbs have been cracked with this technology. Cleveland Police have recently formed a financial crimes unit.
Notable/Historic cases involving the CPD
- 1908 - Collinwood School FireCollinwood School FireThe Collinwood school fire of Ash Wednesday, March 4, 1908, was one of the deadliest disasters of its type in the United States...
. - 1935 - Torso MurdersCleveland Torso MurdererThe Cleveland Torso Murderer was an unidentified serial killer who killed and dismembered at least 12 victims in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the 1930s.-Murderers:...
, in Cleveland's KinsmanKinsmanA kinsman is a male relative . The term Kinsman may also refer to:-Places in the United States:*Kinsman, Illinois*Kinsman, Ohio*Kinsman Township, Trumbull County, Ohio...
neighborhood. CPD found the torsos and decapited bodied in area in Cleveland's Woodland, Kinsman, and East 93rd Street. - 1954 - Cleveland Police assisted Bay Village, OhioBay Village, Ohio-Education:Bay High School was awarded the blue ribbon award in the school year of 2010-11.Newsweek magazine placed Bay High School 793rd in its 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 U.S...
Police with the Dr. Sam Sheppard CaseSam SheppardDr. Samuel Holmes Sheppard was an American osteopathic physician and neurosurgeon, who was involved in an infamous and controversial murder trial. He was convicted of the murder of his pregnant wife, Marilyn Reese Sheppard, in 1954, while residing in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Sheppard served...
. - 1963 - Terry v. OhioTerry v. OhioTerry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 , was a decision by the United States Supreme Court which held that the Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures is not violated when a police officer stops a suspect on the street and frisks him without probable cause to arrest, if the police...
(case decided 1968) - U.S. Supreme Court case establishing ConstitutionalityUnited States ConstitutionThe Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
of police stop-and-friskTerry stopIn the United States, a Terry stop is a brief detention of a person bypoliceon reasonable suspicion of involvement in criminal activity but short of probable cause to arrest.The name derives from Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S...
procedures - 1971 - Cleveland Police arrested Actress/Activist Jane FondaJane FondaJane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. - 1977 - Death of Danny GreeneDanny GreeneDaniel "Danny" J. Patrick Greene was an Irish American mobster and associate of Cleveland mobster John Nardi during the gang war for the city's criminal operations during the 1970s. Competing gangsters set off more than 35 bombs, most attached to cars in murder attempts, many successful...
- 1985 - Cleveland Police SWAT Team assaults a hijacked - Pan American World AirwaysPan American World AirwaysPan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
airliner and subdues the hostage taker. No lives lost. - 2003 - Case Western University shootingBiswanath HalderOn May 9, 2003, Biswanath Halder, an immigrant from India and alumnus of Case Western Reserve University , went on a shooting spree, killing one student, Norman Wallace, and wounding a professor and a Ph.D. student at the Weatherhead School of Management at CWRU in Cleveland, Ohio...
- 2007 - Shooting at Cleveland Successtech High SchoolSuccessTech Academy shootingThe SuccessTech Academy shooting was a school shooting that occurred on October 10, 2007, at the SuccessTech alternative high school in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. 14-year-old freshman Asa H. Coon shot two students and two teachers before committing suicide in the fourth floor of the...
. Shooter is the only fatalitySuicideSuicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse... - 2009 - Cleveland Strangler CaseAnthony SowellAnthony Edward Sowell is an American serial killer, identified in press reports as the "Cleveland Strangler". He was arrested in October 2009 as a suspect in the murders of eleven women whose bodies were discovered at his Cleveland, Ohio, duplex at 12205 Imperial Avenue, located in the Mt...
, 11 dead bodies were found and 6 have been identified as of November 2009.
Fallen Officers
Since 1853, The Cleveland Division of Police has lost 106 officers in the line of duty.Administrative Operations
- Provides services that enable the other programs to effectively respond to service calls. It provides security services; warrant, subpoena and property processing; radio and telephone communications; inspection of police services; and management of information and human resources. Additional functions include the reporting and recording of crimes and incidents and personnel development.
Field Operations
- Bureau of Traffic
- As part of Field Operations, the Bureau of Traffic provides traffic and crowd control at major events, investigates serious traffic accidents and ensures the safety of school children walking to and from school.
- Downtown Services Unit (D.S.U)
- In May 2008 the D.S.U. was created to offset the closing of the old Third District while still providing a police presence in the downtown area. In addition to regular patrol the D.S.U. is involved in policing special events, the Warehouse District, as well as numerous undercover enforcement operations.
- D.A.R.E. programs
- Community Relations
- Auxiliary Police
- Patrol
- District Support
- District support sections assist uniformed patrols through the investigation of major offenses, concentrated action on specific complaints, and crime pattern analysis.
Special Operations
- S.W.A.T (founded in 1979)
- Aviation Unit (Founded in 1990)
- Does patrols for the city owned Cleveland Hopkins International AirportCleveland Hopkins International AirportCleveland Hopkins International Airport is a public airport located nine miles southwest of the central business district of Cleveland, a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The airport lies just within the city limits of Cleveland...
- Does patrols for the city owned Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
- Ports and Harbor Unit (Founded 1939)
- Mounted Unit
- Investigations Division
- Detective Bureaus
- Arson
- Auto Theft
- Fraud
- Narcotics
- Robbery/Homicide
- Sex Crimes/Special Victims
- Youth Domestic Violence
- Detective Bureaus
- Technical Support Division
- Photography Lab Services
- Forensics and Crime Scene Investigation/Analysis
Rank Structure and Insignia
| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Chief |  |
| Deputy Chief |  |
| Commander |  |
| Captain | |
| Lieutenant |  |
| Sergeant | |
| Police Officer |
Resources
Cleveland has used black and white Ford Crown VictoriaFord Crown Victoria
-1992–1994:Released in March 1991 as an early 1992 model, the Crown Victoria sedan was completely redesigned with a rounder, eight-window roofline . The redesign reduced the coefficient of drag from 0.42 to 0.34; the suspension setup was also heavily revised...
interceptors for the past 25 years. However, Cleveland's continued use of the Crown Victoria is in question due to Ford's ending of the Crown Victoria in 2011, with the Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
or the Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is an American automobile manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler. There have been several different Dodge vehicles, built on three different platforms and sizes, all bearing the Charger nameplate...
being viewed as replacements.
Hough Riots
The Hough Riots were race riots in the predominantly African American community of Hough that took place over a six-night period from July 18 to July 23, 1966, after a series of racially-motivated confrontations outside of a neighborhood bar. Racial tension was high between Cleveland's police and its African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community to begin with, and played a crucial role in further escalating the situation. During the riots, four African Americans were killed and 30 people were critically injured. In addition, there were 275 arrests, while more than 240 fires were reported.
Glenville Shootout
The Glenville Shootout was the culmination of a series of violent incidents that occurred in the GlenvilleGlenville, Cleveland
Glenville is a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. It is roughly bounded between Rockefeller Park between on the west and Lakeview Road on the east, and by the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway on its the north and Wade Park Avenue to the south....
section of Cleveland from July 23 to July 28, 1968. The main incident began on the evening of July 23, 1968 in the eastern section of the Glenville neighborhood. Cleveland police officers were watching Fred Ahmed Evans and his radical militant group, who were suspected of purchasing illegal weapons. It was not clear who shot first, but Evans and the police exchanged gunfire. The shootout attracted a large crowd that was described as "mostly black, young, and 'hostile'". When it became clear that the department was ill-equipped to handle the situation, then-mayor Carl B. Stokes
Carl B. Stokes
Carl Burton Stokes was an American politician of the Democratic party who served as the 51st mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. Elected on November 7, 1967, but took office on Jan 1, 1968, he was the first African American mayor of a major U.S. city. Fellow Ohioan Robert C. Henry was the first African...
called in the National Guard
Ohio Army National Guard
The Ohio Army National Guard is a part of the United States National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Army. It is also a component of the organized militia of the state of Ohio, which also includes the Ohio Naval Militia, the Ohio Military Reserve and the Ohio Air National Guard...
. The violent acts resulted in the deaths of seven people, and injuries of fifteen others.
The Hongisto feud
As then-mayor-elect, Dennis KucinichDennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
appointed former San Francisco, California Sheriff
San Francisco Sheriff's Department
The San Francisco Sheriff's Department is the sheriff's department for the City and County of San Francisco. The department has 850 deputized personnel, and support staff....
Richard D. Hongisto
Richard Hongisto
Richard D. Hongisto was a businessman, politician, sheriff and police chief of San Francisco, California, and Cleveland, Ohio.-Early life and education:...
as chief of police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
in 1977, a decision he would later come to regret. Hongisto became immensely popular in Cleveland, especially with the city's ethnic Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an community. The chief was also popular with the media, especially after Hongisto saved a person from a snow bank during a 1978 snowstorm
Great Blizzard of 1978
The Great Blizzard of 1978 was a historic blizzard which struck the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes from January 25–27, 1978. The 28.28 inches barometric pressure measurement recorded in Cleveland, Ohio was the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the mainland United States...
. However, on March 23, Kucinich publicly suspended Hongisto for refusing to accept civilian control. Hongisto asserted that Kucinich interfered with the operation of the department. Specifically, he stated that Kucinich's executive secretary Bob Weissman had pressured him to "punish" Kucinich opponents on the City Council
Cleveland City Council
Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Cleveland in Ohio. Its members are elected from 19 wards to four-year terms. The number of council members has decreased over the years...
and to reward police jobs to Kucinich supporters with "questionable ethics." In turn, Kucinich charged Hongisto with insubordination
Insubordination
Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying an authority. Refusing to perform an action that is unethical or illegal is not insubordination; neither is refusing to perform an action that is not within the scope of authority of the person issuing the order.Insubordination is typically a...
.
In a press conference televised on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
1978, Kucinich gave Hongisto 24 hours to back up his charges. Then the mayor fired the chief in front of the live television cameras. The controversial firing would be one of the underlying causes of Kucinich's near-removal from office.