CLEVELAND — Cleveland Mayor-elect Justin Bibb announced Wednesday he has selected Deputy Chief Dornat “Wayne” Drummond to be the interim Cleveland chief of police starting next month. Police Chief Calvin Williams is stepping down Jan. 3 when the current administration leaves office.

What You Need To Know

  • Deputy Chief of Police Dornat “Wayne” Drummond will be Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams’ temporary replacement

  • Drummond has served 32 years with Cleveland Police, including the last seven as deputy chief

  • Mayor-elect Justin Bibb will use a firm to conduct a nationwide search to find Williams’ permanent replacement

  • The role of Cleveland’s chief of police is evolving after voters passed Issue 24 in November

Drummond will remain chief temporarily as Bibb will use a firm to conduct a national search for the position. 

“We must maintain top-level expertise in this role while we search for a new police chief. Deputy Chief Drummond is highly regarded for his service, and I look forward to working with him,” Bibb said.

Drummond joined Cleveland Police 32 years ago and has been a deputy chief since 2014. Drummond started on beat patrol before being elevated to commander of the sixth district. 

Drummond also served as public information officer and taught law enforcement ethics at Cuyahoga Community College. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo.

“I am honored to be selected to lead the force during this period of transition. Keeping Cleveland safe has always been my No. 1 priority,” Drummond said.

The next chief of police will encounter increased oversight following the November passage of Issue 24. Much of the chief’s power to discipline officers will now rest with the Community Police Commission.

The decision to change police oversight comes homicides have jumped in the last two years. Last year, there were 177 homicides in the city of Cleveland, which is more than double from 2010.

Homicides are slightly lower in 2021, according to city data. Through Nov. 27, there were 159 homicides in 2021, which was seven fewer than at the same time in 2020, but 49 more than at the same time in 2019.

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