CLEVELAND — Noting that "Cleveland is a reflection of what's going on throughout the country," Mayor Frank Jackson addressed public safety and violent crime in the city during a briefing on Tuesday.
Jackson was joined by Public Safety Director Karrie Howard and Police Chief Calvin Williams for the press conference, which also brought up how the city was preparing for the verdict in the Chauvin case in Minnesota.
Cleveland held its breath with the rest of the nation as the jury in the case of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin found him guilty on three counts in the death of George Floyd.
"Rest assured, we are prepared for anything and everything," Williams said when asked about any possible demonstrations in Cleveland after the Chauvin verdict. "We have a plan in place."
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree and third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the May 25, 2020 death of Floyd. Bystander video and police body camera footage showed the former Minneapolis police officer kneeling on Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds.
Floyd's death triggered protests all across the nation last year. In Cleveland, what began as a peaceful demonstration on May 30, turned into a riot that caused Jackson to put the city under a curfew for several days.
Williams said Tuesday that the police learned valuable lessons from last year's experience in the aftermath of Floyd's death.
After the verdict, the city released the following statement:
"The verdict in the trial of ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin has been announced. We, continue to hope and pray for the family of George Floyd and his loved ones. The City of Cleveland supports citizens’ First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly and encourages people to express their views and opinions, however this must be done lawfully. Every resident in this City has and deserves to have a voice in this conversation. Since the inception of the Consent Decree, the Cleveland Division of Police has made strides toward compliance with the revision of existing policies and the implementation of new ones. We recognize that although progress has been made, additional growth still needs to take place."
Meanwhile, Cleveland is experiencing an uptick in homicides in 2021. Jackson noted that there have already been 47 homicides in the city as of Tuesday, 12 more than at this exact time in 2020. Last year ended up being a record year for homicides in Cleveland.
Williams noted that the city's gun confiscation totals are 100% above where they were at this time last year. The Cleveland Division of Police has confiscated over 800 guns since the year began. Last year at this time, that number was at 400.
Jackson and Williams also expressed concern about the number of carjackings in the city. Calling them "crimes of opportunity," Williams says detectives are working hard to find patterns and areas where the carjackings are taking place, while crime scene investigators are trying to find clues once the vehicles are recovered.
"It's a major issue (carjackings)," Jackson added. "Not just in our urban centers, but in our neighborhoods and surburbs."
To combat the violence in the city, Williams says Cleveland city and police leaders are partnering with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. "We want to hit this with everything we can," he added.
With the uptick in violence, homicides, carjackings, and more, Jackson noted that it is triggering police use of force. In some cases, the use of force has become deadly. "The question becomes whether that use of force, particularly the deadly use of force, is justified," he added, pointing to cases of deadly force used by a DEA agent and a Cleveland police officer in the last week.
You can watch Tuesday's briefing below:
Editor's Note: 3News' sister station KARE contributed to this story
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