Report on Cleveland's Consent decree for police reforms shows progress, Mayor Bibb, Judge Oliver say...But ongoing work is needed before it will end, Judge Oliver said...By Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader

Above picture: Cleveland police, in hot pursuit, chase the car driven by Timothy Russell, 43, with Malissa Williams, 30, as a passenger, in 2012, a chase that began in downtown Cleveland and ended in the parking lot of Heritage Middle School in neighboring East Cleveland. Both Black and both unarmed, and neither of them wanted by the law, Williams and Russell were unceremoniously gunned down by 13 non-Black Cleveland cops slinging 137 bullets. A consent decree for police reforms with Cleveland and the Department of Justice followed and remains pending before Federal District Court Judge Solomon Oliver.

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio-The independent federal monitoring team has released its 17th Semiannual Report on the City of Cleveland's compliance with the Consent Decree, marking progress in police reforms, Mayor Justin M. Bibb said in a press release on Thursday. 

Cleveland's consent decree is a legally-binding agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, established in 2015 after a federal investigation found a "pattern or practice" of excessive force and other constitutional violations by the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP). It followed the "137 shots" police killings of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell, 12-year-old Tamir Rice, and a host of others, mainly Blacks. At the time, Frank Jackson was the mayor. Bibb succeeded him in office in 2021 and is up for reelection this year. 

The decree mandates reforms in areas like use of force, community engagement, and bias-free policing, and is overseen by a federal judge and an independent Police Monitoring Team to ensure the CDP implements and sustains required changes before the federal oversight ends. 

"This report reflects real, measurable progress. Achieving 20 upgrades without any downgrades shows that our reform efforts are on the right track," said Mayor Bibb, 38 and the city's fourth Black mayor. "But this is only part of the story. As always, we remain focused on the ongoing work needed to ensure equitable and trusted policing in every neighborhood and executing an all-of-government approach to public safety and accountability across Cleveland." 

The report highlights 20 upgrades across key areas, with zero downgrades — demonstrating sustained, meaningful improvements in how the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) operates and engages with the community. 

Dr. Leigh Anderson, the new executive director of the mayor's Police Accountability Team added "The breadth of these upgrades highlights how deeply embedded reform efforts are across the department. We remain committed to transparent collaboration and addressing areas still in need of improvement." 

At a federal status conference hearing held on Wednesday, Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr., the overseer of the Consent Decree, expressed appreciation for the city's progress in moving toward compliance in multiple areas during the first half of 2025 and encouraged all parties to maintain the momentum. The judge said more progress is needed before he will consider ending the decree.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com.