Cleveland Community Police Commission Application Form

Cleveland Community Police Commission

The Office of Mayor Justin M. Bibb is now seeking applications for the Cleveland Community Police Commission as outlined in Charter Section 115- 5. Commissioners are compensated approximately $9,000 annually. Applications are due Friday, July 17, 2026. The Commission will have independent oversight and review of police misconduct.

Apply today to be one of 13 members appointed to the Commission, pending City Council approval. There will be seven (7) open seats, each for a 4-year term beginning in December 2026.

Application Process

Please note that all new Commission applications are considered a public record, and the applications are subject to disclosure as a public record upon request. Applications for the Community Police Commission position must be submitted and received by July 17, 2026 or be placed in the regular U.S. mail and postmarked on or before July 17, 2026. Every application received will be reviewed and considered by the City.

Applicants must complete and sign the Background Authorization form (submit below).

Options for applying

Apply online: Submit the form below.
Hand delivery: Download the application. Hand deliver a completed application on or before July 17, 2026 to one of the drop-off boxes that are located at the security desks at the two entrances to Cleveland City Hall (601 Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114), between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
U.S. Mail: Download the application. Mail a completed application, with the envelope and postmark date of on or before July 17, 2026 to:
Attn: Commission Advisory Group
Office of the Mayor, Room 202
Cleveland City Hall
601 Lakeside Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Role of the Commission

The Commission is responsible for responding to community needs and concerns regarding regulation of the City’s Division of Police and community-police relations. All applicants should closely review Charter Section 115-5—which outlines the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Commission. It also clarifies the specific eligibility criteria to serve on the Commission.

Apply Online

Last Name

First Name

Are you a resident of Cleveland?

All Commission members must be residents of Cleveland.

Address

City/Town

State/Province

ZIP Code

Cell Phone

Home Phone

Email Address

Are you over 18 years of age?

Employment History, Resume, and References

Please list your current or most recent place of work, job title, and employer address:

Please list your previous place of work, job title, and employer address:

Please attach and submit a current CV/resume along with your application.

One file only.
255 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt, rtf, pdf, doc, docx, odt, ppt, pptx, odp, xls, xlsx, ods.

References

Reference 1: Name

Reference 1: Email Address

Reference 1: Phone

Reference 2: Name

Reference 2: Email Address

Reference 2: Phone

Reference 3: Name

Reference 3: Email Address

Reference 3: Phone

Please attach the signed Background Check Authorization form.

One file only.
255 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt, rtf, pdf, doc, docx, odt, ppt, pptx, odp, xls, xlsx, ods.

Board/Commission Experience

Have you served on a Board/Commission before?

If yes, how many Boards/Commissions have you served on?

How many total years of Board/Commission experience do you have?

Name of most recent Board/Commission

What role/capacity did you serve?

If you have served on more than one Board/Commission, please list, along with your role(s) and time served.

Are you familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order (or alternative rules of conduct)?

Selection Criteria

“The Commission will consist of 13 persons broadly representative of the racial, social, economic, and cultural interests of the community, including those of the racial-minority, immigrant/refugee, LGBTQ+, youth, faith, business, and other communities, to reflect the overall demographics of Cleveland residents. At least two Commission members must represent community organizations focused on civil-rights issues. At least one Commission member must be, represent, or be knowledgeable of, as applicable, the issues of those who are limited-English speakers, homeless, or who have mental-illness and substance-abuse disorders; those who have been directly impacted by police violence, or be a family member of a person who has been killed by police; those who have been incarcerated and exonerated where police were involved in the wrongful conviction or incarceration; gun-violence survivors or be a family member of a person killed by gun violence; an attorney with experience representing victims of police misconduct or criminally prosecuting police misconduct.” Charter of the City of Cleveland, Section 115-5.

Demographic Information

Please note: It is a charter requirement that the City fulfill these criteria in its commissioner nominations. The specific criteria you fulfill and your reason for fulfilling may potentially become public and, therefore, is not confidential. Please do not submit any information that you are uncomfortable with the public potentially knowing.

Please describe how you are representative of the Cleveland community (as mentioned above)?

After reviewing the selection criteria established in Charter Section 115-5 for the Community Police Commission members, please indicate which of the below criteria applies to you (check all that apply):

"Be, represent, or be knowledgeable of, as applicable, the issues of those who are":

Limited-English speakers, homeless, or who have mental-illness and substance-abuse disorders

Directly impacted by police violence, or be a family member of a person who has been killed by police

Been incarcerated and exonerated where police were involved in the wrongful conviction or incarceration

Gun-violence survivor or be a family member of a person killed by gun violence

Attorney with experience representing victims of police misconduct or criminally prosecuting police misconduct

Are you a representative of a community organization focused on civil-rights issues?

Are you a representative of a police association?

Please briefly describe how the selected criteria, demographic and experiential, applies to you (you may attach an addendum if more space is needed):

Background Information

Have you been employed as a law enforcement officer during the past five (5) years?

If no, have you been a law enforcement officer at any time more than five (5) years ago?

Law Enforcement - Dates of service

Law Enforcement - Employer and Employer Address

Have you ever been employed by the Cleveland Division of Police in any capacity?

Have you ever been employed by the Cleveland Department of Public Safety?

Have you been employed with the City of Cleveland within the previous year?

Do you understand the role of the Commission and have you read and do you understand the responsibilities and duties of the Commission?

Do you acknowledge the potentially significant time commitment (10-15 hours/week) expected of each member?

Do you understand that applications for the Commission are public records, subject to disclosure upon request?

Do you understand that your social security number may be required to conduct a background check if you are selected as a finalist?

Do you speak any other languages?

If yes, please specify language(s):

Please answer the following questions

200 words or less

What do you see as the greatest challenge facing police-community relations? How should this challenge be addressed?

Please describe how you see the role of the Community Police Commission impacting policing in Cleveland – for residents and for officers?

In past professional or organizational experiences, how have you demonstrated your ability to be a collaborative and fair colleague? How do you measure your own effectiveness?

Additional Information

200 words or less

Please provide other information you consider to be pertinent to your application or that uniquely qualifies you to be considered for appointment.

Cleveland Community Police Commission Application Form

Cleveland Community Police Commission Application Form