Cleveland police understaffed amid increase in violent crime

Cleveland has become shorthanded in its fight against crime.

The city has 1,383 police officers, or 257 below the level it hopes to staff the department. The drop has concerned city officials as violent crime continues to spike. Cleveland also must deal with suburban departments cherry-picking top officers with the lure of higher salaries and safer streets.

The drop has been part of a years long trend in Cleveland and many large departments across the country. This year, more than 50 officers have left the department through retirement, termination or resignation, according to city records.

Detroit, for instance, has offered officers $2,000 bonuses to stay, according to published reports. Authorities in Philadelphia also are searching for ways to boost the department’s ranks amid retirements.

Karrie Howard, the Cleveland safety director, told City Council’s Safety Committee this month that the tension between officers and the community, as well as comparatively lower salaries, has resulted in a strain on recruitment issues.

The starting salary for a Cleveland officer is about $54,000 a year, which is similar to what some suburban communities pay. But Aurora, for instance, pays rookie officers $73,000 a year, said the city’s mayor, Ann Womer Benjamin.

“Because our Cleveland police officers are welltrained, and they are street smart, a lot of the suburbs want that type of officer today,” said Cleveland Councilman Michael Polensek, the chairman of Council’s Safety Committee.

“Every major city is having a problem with recruitment.”

Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reached out to Jeff Follmer, the leader of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, leaving messages for comment.

About 45 candidates are attending Cleveland’s police academy, said Jennifer Ciaccia, a department spokeswoman. The academy takes about seven months, and not every recruit passes.

Howard said the city has worked to upgrade its salary levels to boost its recruitment levels. But Howard said he is worried that there will still be challenges because “of what policing looks like today,” he said.

Polensek, who represents Ward 8, said he has urged Mayor Justin Bibb to aggressively recruit new officers.

“We need to start talking about career opportunities, not just about the issue of law enforcement,” Polensek said.

Polensek said he was stunned by the number of those leaving the department recently: 43 have retired, and 39 have resigned.

Many have feared that Issue 24, the initiative passed in November, would lead officers to flee the city for suburban departments. The issue has sought to place greater oversight on the department. One of its chief points places the discipline of officers in the hands of a citizens panel. In the past, it has been dealt with by the chief and safety director.

Lewis Katz, the co-chairman of the Cleveland Community Policing Commission, said he believes a better starting salary and the recruitment of young, African American officers will bring a great change within the police department.

“For years in this city, there has been an overwhelmingly white police department,” Katz said. “Something was wrong there because obviously, there was an intent to recruit mostly white officers.”

Many residents have pushed for the recruitment of African American officers, a move that they hope would ease the tension on police and community strain.