The City of Cleveland on Thursday filed a joint motion with the federal government to terminate its more-than-decade-long consent decree related to policing.
Mayor Justin Bibb said major reforms have resulted in the department gaining compliance with the decree on policies such as use of force, crisis intervention and mandated training.
"In no way, are we declaring mission accomplished," Bibb said at a press conference on Thursday. "But what we are saying today is that we've achieved a significant milestone in the progress that we've made under the consent decree and now is the time for the City of Cleveland to take back the reigns for local control."
The Cleveland Division of Police has been under federal oversight since 2015, after a Department of Justice investigation determined the department engaged in a pattern of excessive force and civil rights violations. That agreement between the city and DOJ listed hundreds of separate reforms, including for use of force, stops and searches, officer accountability, crisis intervention and the equipment made available to officers.
"We are not the same department that we were in 2015," Bibb said. "And I think in many ways the consent decree was a blessing in disguise because it gave us the tools, the political will and the courage to do hard things."
Bibb said he began conversations about ending the consent decree immediately as mayor-elect in 2021. During his first year in office, he hired Dr. Leigh Anderson as the executive director of the police accountability team to steward the city through the consent decree's requirements.
Bibb said about $40 million have been invested in training and technology related to the consent decree.
Cleveland City Council has also passed laws related to police accountability. Most recently, the body passed "Tanisha's Law," which expands non-police responses to residents experiencing mental health crises.
"The consent decree and the help of all of the people that you see with you right now has made Cleveland strong in some very broke places," said City Council President Blaine Griffin at Thursday's press conference.
A report filed in federal court two weeks ago by the monitor overseeing Cleveland’s consent decree shed light on the city’s progress. It found the Cleveland Division of Police is using force in a reasonable, proportional way in nearly all instances reviewed, and is correcting actions when it's not.
The monitor, Christine Cole, and her team reviewed 272 use of force cases, nearly all from 2024, and found the force used in 97% of those cases was “necessary,” “proportional” and “reasonable.”
Now, the decision hangs with Judge Solomon Oliver, the federal judge overseeing the consent decree.
"There is consensus that we've achieved the goals," said Law Director Mark Griffin. "So, we are optimistic that we will get a good result."
Bibb said the monitor will stay with the city for "at least" a year and they will continue to work closely with the DOJ if the consent decree is dismissed.
President Donald Trump has been vocal about wanting to see policing consent decrees across the country come to an end. Bibb said the motion to terminate the consent decree is independent of the political pressure to do so.
"Regardless of who's in the White House, regardless of who is running the DOJ, we have set a foundation for reform, a foundation for progress, and we will continue to work with the monitor to make sure we sustain these reforms over time," Bibb said.
