Council OKs $3.5 Million For Police Helicopters

Produced by Signal Cleveland and Cleveland Documenters

Cleveland Public Meetings Report – The week of Oct. 3

$3.5 million approved for Cleveland police helicopters
By Dakotah Kennedy and Documenters Dean Jackson, Lakeisha Smith and Alicia Moreland
Oct. 2 – Cleveland City Council

Putting the cop in helicopter: Cleveland City Council approved $3.5 million to make repairs and upgrades to two Cleveland police helicopters. Council President Blaine Griffin and Council Member Michael Polensek sponsored the legislation. Ward 17 Council Member Charles Slife was the only council member to vote against the legislation.

Balancing rights: City Council is considering changes to its public comment rules after antisemetic and anti-LGBTQ statements at a recent meeting. Ward 15 Council Member Jenny Spencer suggested taking a look at the rules to prevent future incidents. Spencer also said she hoped for clarification on the exact circumstances when the council president could “gavel down” a speaker.

Commenters say: Several people spoke up about previous comments targeting the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities. “Our collective strength, including our allies– our Jewish brothers and sisters and siblings– should not be underestimated,” said Phyllis Harris, director of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland.

Here to stay: Council members said that they do not want to end public comment. Public comment has been a practice in city council since October 2021, following a 90-year absence. Council President Griffin said he met with attorneys to find the best path forward to protect free speech rights while also protecting communities from identity-based attacks.

Not enough police use Cuyahoga County Diversion Center, official says
By Doug Breehl-Pitorak and Cleveland Documenter Barbara Phipps
Oct. 6 – Public Safety & Justice Affairs Committee, Cuyahoga County Council

Diversion needed: The Cuyahoga County Diversion Center is not being used as intended, County Council Member Michael Gallagher said. He took issue with how seldom law enforcement agencies refer people there. The center is at a building owned by behavioral health group Oriana House on E. 55th Street. Opened in May 2021, the center’s purpose was to keep people experiencing mental health issues out of the criminal justice system and reduce the county jail population. Instead, it functions primarily as a mental health services center available to anyone, Gallagher said, adding that it needs buy-in from police departments.

Making calls: Brandy Carney, the county’s chief of Public Safety & Justice, acknowledged that law enforcement agencies have been slow to embrace the center. Carney, who also sits on a board that advises on the center, shared that 78% of all referral calls through July 2023 (2,827 total) came from community members, self-referral or other agencies. Twenty-two percent came from police. It is a culture shift that will take time, Carney said.

‘Pin’s going to get pulled’: In August, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office joined a state- and federally-supported initiative to help Cleveland address crime. Details of that effort — a downtown Cleveland safety patrol consisting of eight deputy sheriffs, one sergeant, and two canine units — were well-received at a September Cleveland City Council meeting. But at least one county official — Gallagher — isn’t as thrilled. “We’re eight weeks deep into this and doing Cleveland’s job for them with other partners,” he said to Sheriff Harold Pretel in this meeting. “We’re at a point where…the pin’s going to get pulled.”

Helping a city: Pretel came to the county this year after spending nearly 30 years with Cleveland’s police department. Pretel gave a sweeping presentation of the department’s operations, noting high staffing levels. The downtown initiative is about the county supporting a municipality, as it would if Rocky River of Maple Heights asked for help, Pretel said.