It’s a tough time to recruit police officers across the country. Cleveland's department is more than 200 officers short of the city’s budgeted number of 1,498, and it is more than 400 shy of the budgeted rosters of recent years. Scores of officers have retired or fled to suburban departments for higher pay and quieter shifts. That’s the reverse of past decades, when the city had more applicants than spots. A survey from the International Association of Chiefs of Police showed that the long hiring process often contributes to the low number of applicants. Also, many young people do not want to work long hours, often with mandated overtime, or face childcare challenges. The lack of officers has dire implications for residents: longer waits when they call for help, fewer crimes solved and more officers experiencing burnout. -- Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Cleveland has pushed to draw more police recruits, but it has had little success. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com file photo) |
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Police academy: The city’s police academy has just nine recruits in its latest class, a far cry from when the city hired 87 academy graduates in 2000, reports Olivia Mitchell. The class of recruits is the smallest in 25 years, underscoring a nationwide trend in which fewer men and women are seeking to make law enforcement a career. Third-grade guarantee: A pandemic-related exception to the requirement that students repeat the third grade if they’re not reading proficiently ends with this academic year and state lawmakers are considering whether to permanently eliminate the Third Grade Reading Guarantee retention mandate. The House version of the two-year state budget nixes the mandate that a child repeat the third grade. So does a bipartisan standalone bill, reports Laura Hancock. Today in Ohio: Pat McDonald resigned last month as director of the Ohio Lottery Commission. Now we know the move came after being confronted by Gov. Mike DeWine administration officials about allegations of unwanted touching and suggestive text messages sent to employees. We’re talking about the investigation on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
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Retirement board: Gov. Mike DeWine has removed appointee Wade Steen from the State Teachers Retirement System board – a member who challenged the pension’s managers – a day before the announcement of another reform-minded board member. Laura Hancock reports the Ohio Retirement for Teachers Association has pushed back against pension austerity measures that included low cost-of-living increases and no increases between 2017 and 2022. Heartbeat ban: Mississippi and 17 other states argue in a friend-of-the-court brief that the Ohio Supreme Court should throw out a temporary block on enforcing the state’s “heartbeat” abortion ban because the plaintiffs are clinics and not patients. Laura Hancock reports the states argue that the clinics do not have a close relationship with patients, the person who possesses the right to sue. |
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Asian population: May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States. And while only 2.5% of Ohio’s population identifies as Asian, there are still nearly 220,000 people of Asian descent who live in the state, reports Zachary Smith. As of the 2021 five-year estimates, the Columbus suburb of Dublin has the largest percentage of Asian people in any Ohio city at 19.6%, followed by Pepper Pike and the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, both with 14.1%. Internet access: Cleveland’s plan to expand affordable broadband access is coming into focus. On Monday, local nonprofit DigitalC presented its $40 million plan, funded both publicly and privately, to improve internet access in a city that has lagged behind its peers, Lucas Daprile reports. Parking: As Cleveland prepares to convert its coin-only parking meters to smart meters and parking apps, the city is looking to expand paid parking hours and increase parking fees for public lots, including the Municipal Lot, Courtney Astolfi reports. Those changes are among several that are set to be introduced to City Council Monday night, as part of Mayor Justin Bibb’s plans to overhaul Cleveland’s antiquated parking meters, make it easier for drivers to pay, and boost parking revenues for the city. Cleveland’s Promise: In the past few years, an Almira Elementary School teacher has noticed a shift in how Black women and girls view wearing their natural hair, reports Cameron Fields. Since the pandemic, Black girls and women are embracing their natural hair more instead of using chemical relaxers to straighten their hair. Bill help: The City of Cleveland has introduced plans to spend $2 million helping qualifying residents pay outstanding balances on their utility bills, reports Lucas Daprile. The plan would apply to those who owe money to either Cleveland Public Power or Cleveland Water and are already on a payment plan. |
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Toxic emissions: After having the worst emissions in Greater Cleveland in 2020, Lorain County saw increases in both the number of facilities releasing chemicals and total chemical emissions. Zachary Smith reports Lorain County hosts 37 facilities that reported toxic releases in 2021 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. |
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Found in plastic: A Cleveland man is accused of beating and Zip-tying a 60-year-old woman, then stuffing her into a 3-foot-by-3-foot plastic container and sealing the lid, reports John Tucker. Officers found the woman after hearing her muffled cries for help during a house search in the middle of the night May 3, police say. As of Thursday, the victim was unconscious and on a ventilator, with multiple fractures to the back of her head. Missing woman: A Cleveland city worker was arrested Monday and accused of stalking a woman who has been reported missing, authorities say. Michael Stennett, 65, a recreation worker, was charged in Cleveland Municipal Court with violating a protective order and stalking involving Lachelle Gordon, 30. Gordon’s family reported her missing Sunday, Olivia Mitchell reports. |
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Browns dog: Five finalists have been announced in the contest to determine which pooch best represents the Cleveland Browns. Marc Bona has the designs. Lady Caroline: A couple of hundred guests were on hand as Lady Caroline -- Cleveland’s newest dining and entertainment cruise ship -- made its way down the Cuyahoga River on Monday morning before docking at its new home at the Nautica Entertainment Complex. Dave Petkiewicz has photos of the Lady Caroline, which will replace the aging Nautica Queen when it goes into service in mid-June after roughly $250,000 in renovations. Travel newsletter: Susan Glaser has been zigzagging around Ohio for the better part of the past two decades, exploring destinations from Athens to Yellow Springs and everywhere in between. How would you like to join her in a weekly email newsletter? Spire Institute: Young athletes who get to Spire, the sports-preparatory academy in Geneva, have a common goal: to draw the attention of a Division I college, reports Marc Bona. He chronicles the struggles of one athlete with injuries. For a competitor starting her career, the challenges can be steep. And shoulder problems top the most frequently seen injuries among swimmers. Mother’s Day: Restaurant folks are among the busiest people on Mother’s Day, working hard so multitudes of mothers won’t have to cook and clean up for at least one day. Cleveland chefs tell Paris Wolfe which restaurants they’d take their mom to and why. |
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Akron man gets 7 years in prison for fatal hit-and-run crash in 2021 Read more Shots fired between vehicles in Akron parking lot, leaving 1 person seriously wounded Read more Man shot to death in Cleveland Heights, police say Read more Lake County woman charged with murder in fatal shooting of her boyfriend Read more Belvoir Boulevard resurfacing to begin soon in South Euclid; city’s home values on the rise Read more Medina City Council ponders allowing special interest flags on Public Square, other city properties Read more Volunteers start work of cleaning up new Chagrin Falls park Read more 27,000 Ohioans approved for nearly $1.7B in public service student loan forgiveness: How to apply Read more Strongsville to pay Crossroads Asphalt more than $725,000 to resurface parts of Whitney Road Read more Solon council authorizes collective bargaining agreement with service department union Read more |
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