CLEVELAND — A recent surge in violent crimes paired with a shortage of police officers in Cleveland has left residents and local leaders concerned.

What You Need To Know

  • Violent crime rates are up in the city of Cleveland, and police officer staffing numbers are low

  • Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and police union leaders have been meeting to discuss recruitment, retention and deployment strategies

  • They unveiled four initiatives aimed at tackling recruitment, including increasing cadet salaries

  • They'll continue meeting in the coming weeks to discuss retention and deployment tactics

That’s why Mayor Justin Bibb is working with police union leaders at the RISE (Raising Investment in Safety for Everyone) Summit with the goal of improving recruitment, retention and deployment of officers.

“Everyone around this table shares the same concern about safety in our city,” Bibb said. “And we’re all focused on making sure we can do everything as a city, as an administration, and as union leaders, to make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep our city safe and secure.”

In their first public meeting on Wednesday, they unveiled four initiatives to tackle recruitment, including increasing cadet salaries from $16 to $24 an hour.

In addition, they’re reimbursing individuals who went through Tri-C’s police academy, if they join Cleveland’s department.

They’ll also create a “fast track” for cadets entering the academy with a college degree or active duty in the armed forces.

Finally, a sign-on bonus of up to $5,000 will be offered for new officers.

“We are in a war for talent right now across the country when it comes to law enforcement,” Bibb said. “And I’ve given my word as mayor that I’m not going to spare any expense to invest in public safety.”

Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond said the department still needs more than 200 officers, and a third of this class’s recruits have already left the academy.

They will continue meeting to discuss deployment and retention, something Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association President Detective Jeff Follmer said he looks forward to, as officers continue to work overtime to make up for shortages.

“You got the quality already,” Follmer said. “They’re great men and women, and hopefully, we give them a little break on this mandating and get us up to staffing here over the next couple of years.”

While he acknowledges there’s a long road ahead, Bibb said he’s proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish thus far.

“I have a lot of good faith that we’ll have additional progress because of the trust we’ve been to date,” he said. “And I know we’re all committed to getting to job done moving forward.”

In the summit, Bibb also discussed potentially offering retention bonuses as well as continuing to increase pay for officers who stay with the department. 

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