CLEVELAND — On Wednesday, Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb released his 2023 budget estimate, which proposes to eliminate more than 250 vacant jobs in various city departments.
The job eliminations include 140 positions within the Cleveland Division of Police, something that doesn't sit well with the head of the city's police union.
"We understand the city's financial position is tough, but you don't say you got a raise when you're going to put less people on the streets," says Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association.
The Cleveland Division of Police's budget is slated to increase from $211 million last year to $217 million in 2023 after the city and the police union agreed to a new contract last fall. The agreement provided a 7% pay increase to officers for 2022.
But, like most cities, Cleveland is having trouble recruiting officers.
"I get that we're not getting recruiting, but we should still keep trying because our citizens deserve it and our officers deserve it," Follmer adds.
One of Bibb's initiatives is violence prevention, calling for better policing with more officers on the streets, so 3News reached out to the mayor's officer for comment on the proposal to eliminate police positions. They released the following statement:
"The safety of the city remains the number one priority of the mayor. The overall Public Safety budget is up approximately $2.2m (2022 vs. 2023).The Division of Police staffing levels reflects the strategic operations of the division while being fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars. In the proposed budget there are a total of 1,498 budgeted police officers, including 206 vacant uniform officer positions.
"Cities across the country are struggling to recruit and retain police officers. This year, the City took concrete steps to shore up CPD’s ranks with a new labor contract that provided a 7% pay increase in 2022. Given the City’s fiscal constraints, this increase would not have been possible without a reduction in the number of budgeted but vacant positions.
"The administration is taking a data driven approach to staffing, which has not been done before. The resident to officer ratio is comparable to other cities and we are being strategic and efficient without undermining services to the residents. The General Fund budget does not reflect other significant investments the City has made in the Division of Police, such as a $90m new police headquarters, new equipment, and a new co-responder model.
"This year's budget is structurally balanced and supports financial sustainability for the city's future - the first time we have been able to do since 2020."
Follmer says while he understands the city's new budget approach, the need for putting more police on the streets still stands, and waiting for next year's budget to roll around may be too late.
"You can't predict what's going to happen in a year," he says. "We might not get there for a while, but its something we've got to keep trying because this city is one of the top dangerous cities in the United States. We owe it to the residents."
The city has scheduled a virtual briefing for Friday that will include Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond, Safety Director Karrie Howard, and Chief Financial Officer Ahmed Abonamah. It is expected that they will have a breakdown of the 2023 budget.