Police chiefs collaborate for anti-crime network

Started more than 50 years ago and featuring five police departments from eastern Cuyahoga County, the Suburban Police Anticrime Network is a regional effort aimed at policing and sharing resources.

SPAN remains a useful tool for area chiefs to meet on a monthly basis and discuss an array of ideas to help protect the community, according to officials involved in the group.

SPAN meetings currently have police chiefs from Richmond Heights, Highland Heights, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights and Mayfield Village.

“The SPAN departments aren’t large enough to justify having our own SWAT teams, bomb squads, narcotics units, hostage negotiators and accident investigation units for each of our departments,” Mayfield Heights Police Chief Anthony Mele said. “In order to provide all of these services while still being fiscally responsible, we pool our resources to form these specialized units.

“Each unit is comprised of officers from all five of the SPAN police departments,” he added. “Most of the suburban cities in the Greater Cleveland area belong to similar groups for the same reasons.”

Mele said at the meetings, discussions center around issues such as equipment needs, budgets, available grants, training and legal matters.

“It also gives us an opportunity to forge close relationships with the surrounding police agencies and to collaborate toward a common goal — public safety,” Mele said.

Recently retired Richmond Heights Police Chief Tom Wetzel said SPAN was started in 1972.

Wetzel called the meetings “a nice opportunity for the SPAN chiefs to collaborate and develop strategies

“Each chief has a wealth of experience, skills and knowledge, as well as leadership vision to best serve our agencies and communities.” — Tom Wetzel, former Richmond Heights police chief

to help make our communities safer places to live and thrive.”

He added the meetings also allow the chiefs to bounce ideas off each other and learn different ways to address areas of concern.

“Each chief has a wealth of experience, skills and knowledge, as well as leadership vision to best serve our agencies and communities,” Wetzel said.