CLEVELAND — A Cleveland city councilman is demanding answers from Mayor Justin Bibb's office on why so few cadets are graduating from the police academy.
In an Aug. 10 letter obtained by 3News, Ward 8 Councilman Michael Polensek, who is also the Safety Committee Chairman, asked Cleveland Director of Public Safety Karrie Howard why only 11 cadets graduated in the most recent class when there were almost 300 applicants.
"It's very depressing to only have 11 cadets when we had 295 apply," Polensek told 3News.
He called the situation "unacceptable," especially with the current level of gun violence in the city and car thefts on the rise.
"If there's ever a time in the history of the city that we need men and women in blue and law enforcement working our streets, it's now," Polensek told 3News on Wednesday. “And as the crime rate goes up, the number of police officers continues to go down. So, there is a correlation. What is policing? It's not about arresting people. It's about preventing crime from happening. So, if you have [officers] in the street, you run a much better chance of stopping crime from happening, and then when crime does take place, you have the investigative aspect of CPD to do the investigation, whether it be homicides or car theft."
In his letter to Howard, Polensek noted how during a presentation to Cleveland City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Aug. 2, Howard shared that of the 295 applicants, Cleveland police "passed over" 98 of them. Meanwhile, 110 of the applicants withdrew.
"Council members have the right to know why 98 potential recruits were 'passed over' in light of the critical condition we find ourselves in today in the Division of Police," Polensek wrote. "If you add up the individuals 'passed over' and those who 'withdrew,' supposedly on their own, that is 208 out of the 295. So, it is clear to me that we do have individuals applying but at the end of the day only a fraction are being hired and sworn-in."
Polensek also wrote about the 99 officers who have departed from the Cleveland Division of Police from the start of the year until the August presentation.
"You also indicated at the table that there were exit interviews with 43 of those who 'retired' and the 52 who 'resigned,' which is a number that greatly concerns all of us in Council," he wrote.
Read the full letter below:
Polensek tells 3News he is not going to let the critical issue go.
"We are going to continue to press the case, urge the administration to do whatever they have to do to ramp up partnerships with outside law enforcement agencies to figure out what is inherently wrong," he said. "We thought we were having a hard time recruiting, but we realized 295 did apply. So, let's figure out why at the end of the day we only wound up with 11. That's what we have to understand."
Howard sent 3News the following statement on Wednesday:
"We will not sacrifice quality over quantity to address public safety.
"We are doing everything possible to recruit, attract, and retain the next generation of officers who fit our values around constitutionally-appropriate policing. Sacrificing quality only undermines the progress that we’ve made under the consent decree since 2014 – hence why the Administration has a Police Accountability Team, Community Police Commission, and continues to invest in new training that meets 21st century policing standards.
"We have high standards because the public – through the passage of Issue 24 – has made it clear they demand best-in-class officers. Our public safety forces must consist of the best and brightest officers because the public deserves nothing less. We also owe that to our current officers and their families to ensure that they can count on qualified and competent colleagues."
City of Cleveland Spokesman Tyler Sinclair also answered some of 3News' questions, such as why 110 applicants withdrew.
"The 110 who withdrew were self-initiated – meaning they were the ones who, for whatever reason, ended the process," he responded. "Most of these were individuals we contacted multiple times and never heard back from so any guesses as to why they withdrew would be pure speculation."
We also asked Sinclair about fears of Cleveland PD's number of officers dropping too low.
"We remain confident that our current officers and our recently announced partnerships will provide superior policing services to keep our residents safe," he explained. "It is due to the Mayor, Chief Drummond, and the Administration’s efforts and RISE Initiative that we were able to secure today’s partnership from the State as well as support from Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department and the US Marshals Service, which all ties back to the Mayor’s RISE Initiative announced last month – the most comprehensive violence reduction and law enforcement enhancement plan the City of Cleveland has ever seen. Also, it’s important to note that the Division of Police maintains a consistent car plan. Staffing levels do not impact the car plan."
Sinclair's mention of 'a state partnership' refers to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's visit to Cleveland on Wednesday to announce an initiative to fight violent crime in the city. According to DeWine, state resources have already been deployed to enact a "surge initiative." The initiative combines the resources of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to target "known criminal hot spots."
Sinclair also said the Bibb administration has provided detailed hiring demographics and exit survey information multiple times to Cleveland City Council in the past and will continue to do so. They're in the process of compiling that information right now.
Previous Reporting:
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announces 'surge initiative' to help combat crime in Cleveland
- Cleveland dealing with a dramatic jump in car thefts in 2023
- 11 officers graduate from Cleveland Police Academy amid jump in violence and officer shortage
- Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb announces plan for reducing violent crime, recruiting more police officers