Consent Decree

The Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) has been under a Consent Decree since 2015. Following a 21-month long investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) determined that there was reasonable cause to believe that the CDP engaged in excessive use of force. The DOJ concluded that the alleged pattern and practice of excessive force was related to structural and operational issues within the Division, and potentially violated the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

The City of Cleveland and DOJ entered into the Consent Decree to repair community trust and protect the constitutional rights of the people of Cleveland by identifying problems within the CDP and by creating and implementing policies and practices to correct these problems. The Consent Decree identifies multiple problem areas for which the CDP is required to make policy changes, implement new training, or restructure Division practices. These areas include: (1) Community Engagement, (2) Community and Problem-Oriented Policing, (3) Bias-Free Policing, (4) Use of Force, (5) Crisis Intervention, (6) Search & Seizure, (7) Accountability, Transparency, & Oversight, and (8) Officer Assistance, Support, and Supervision.