Cleveland’s Second Chance at Police Reform
The car driven by Timothy Russell is shown Friday, April 10, 2015, in Cleveland. Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo, 31, is being tried on two counts of voluntary manslaughter in the November 2012 deaths of Russell, 43, and Malissa Williams, 30, after a high-speed chase. The defense attorney’s , prosecuting attorney and the judge visited the warehouse where the car and two police cruisers involved in the chase are stored. (AP Photo/Aaron Josefczyk, Pool)
Cleveland city officials this week signed an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to impose widespread reforms of the city’s police — marking the second time federal officials have pushed for reforms in the department.
The Cleveland police department has been under investigation by the Justice Department for allegations that its officers have a pattern of using excessive force against civilians, in particular against people who are mentally ill. In December, the DOJ found major structural problems in the department, including the use of “poor and dangerous tactics” that put officers in situations where they must use force, unnecessarily endangering themselves and the civilians they are tasked to protect.
The agreement in Cleveland, a city with a documented history of overly aggressive policing, raises questions about how effective federal intervention will be, and what’s needed to impose lasting reforms.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/criminal-justice/clevelands-second-chance-at-police-reform/