October 28, 2026 – CLEVELAND – The Federal Monitoring Team filed its assessment of the Cleveland Division of Police and Department of Public Safety's discipline hearings & discipline in Federal Court on Monday.
The comprehensive assessment reviewed 176 disciplinary dispositions from 2025 and found that the City of Cleveland has established an effective, generally fair, and consistent disciplinary hearing and decision-making process aligned with the City's disciplinary matrix.

Key findings include:

• All nine Disciplinary Hearings & Discipline requirements achieved General Compliance or higher, with two reaching the highest designation of Substantial and Effective Compliance.
• Of 134 dispositions where discipline was imposed, 94% of cases adequately documented mitigating factors and 94.8% documented aggravating factors, reinforcing fairness and accountability.
• 92% of disciplinary decisions adhered to the City's discipline matrix, demonstrating consistency in discipline outcomes.
• No systemic rank-based disparities in discipline were identified, supporting consistent application of the disciplinary matrix. 
• Members were consistently afforded opportunities to be heard, with hearing observations demonstrating meaningful consideration of relevant circumstances.
• Established policies, written hearing dispositions, and administrative tracking systems provide a strong foundation for continued accountability and sustainable reform.

The Monitoring Team assessed the disciplinary process as functioning effectively and consistently, identifying only minor issues which are readily correctable and not indicative of systemic failure. 

These findings represent an important milestone in Cleveland's ongoing police reform efforts and demonstrate meaningful progress toward institutionalizing a fair, transparent, and consistent accountability system.