CLEVELAND — A months-long rash of city-wide carjackings and an aborted police pursuit of the suspects has led Cleveland officials to reconsider the department’s policy on police chases.
The existing policy in question dates back to 2014 and came in the wake of the fatal chase and police shooting of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell.
City officials were critical of the 2012 decision by a group of officers to pursue the car, a 22-mile chase that ended in East Cleveland with officers unleashing a hail of 137 gunshots that killed the couple.
Police initially said officers believed the coupled fired shots at officers and then refused to stop. The couple was not armed.
The subsequent policy limits officers to chasing only violent or intoxicated suspects who flee, while also requiring approval of supervisors.
In a hearing Wednesday with City Council safety committee members, Ward 6 Councilman Blaine Griffin said he’s heard objections to the department’s decision to stop tracking a group of juveniles in a carjacking.
A helicopter was later used to arrest three teens, all accused of a series of as many as 40 violent carjackings across the city.
“What we want to accomplish today, what is the chase policy,” Griffin said. “We want to know why…does it seem to be so much confusion and ambiguity? Are the supervisors aware of the policy? Have they been trained appropriately?”
An inspector general’s report released last June recommended the department update its pursuit policy. The suggestion has not resulted in change.
Police Chief Calvin Williams repeatedly defended that 17-page policy several times during the hearing.
“I think there is a lot in the policy,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of flexibility. And I think the policy is so extensive because we want to be clear as to what the officers and [their] supervisors' responsibilities are.”
Some critics of the current policy say it gives criminals an advantage, knowing they can drive off and police won’t pursue. Others say there’s a need for a coordinated policy county-wide because suburban officers often cross into Cleveland during chases.
Increased use of helicopters is not an issue due to the high costs involved, city officials said.
“This is 2021. We are operating like it’s 1960,” said Councilman Mike Polensek. “I don’t get it anymore. The longer I’m in government, the more I shake my head. No common sense”
Editor's note: the video in the player below is from a story published on March 3, 2021.