CLEVELAND — Like many police departments across the nation, The Cleveland Division of Police has been struggling with staffing.

What You Need To Know

  • The Cleveland Division of Police are hiring  

  • So far this year, they have had 66 officers depart the division

  • Their police training class began with 52 recruits and now they’re down to 44

The department has been trying to fill more than 300 openings this year.

Cleveland Division of Police Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz said it’s no secret that they need officers. Diaz said so far this year, they have had 66 officers depart the division. Their police training class began with 52 recruits and now they’re down to 44. 

Sergeant Diaz said instead of focusing on the problem, they would like to focus on the solution, which is that they are hiring. 

Something that President of the Cleveland Police Union, Andrew Gasiewski, said he would also like to see. He said retention is the real issue at hand. 

“Our folks are being excessively disciplined, and it’s not just the pay. Because if it was the pay, I would be able to say, the departures wouldn’t be as high as they are, and right currently we are at last year’s mark of the departures,” Gasiewski said.

The 2024 budget for Cleveland accounted for over 1300 police officers, but as of May, they’re still short, nearly 300 officers. 

“We’re under 900 officers, I don’t care what they say when they say eleven or twelve, they’re counting everyone from the chief to the sergeants, in that mix, they’re not on the streets, answering the calls for civilians,” Gasiewski said.

Gasiewski said this shortage jeopardizes the safety of the officers. Police shifts changed to 12-hour shifts, and Gasiewski said this isn’t addressing the root problem. 

“The only thing to fix a personnel shortage is personnel, not hours,” Gasiewski said.

Back in December, Cleveland City Council raised the maximum hiring age for police officers from 40 to 50 years old. But Gasiewski said this isn’t helping their numbers. 

“They’ve lowered the standards, and they keep lowering the standards and that’s a shame to do to the public, as well as the officers that are coming in and working here,” Gasiewski said.

They’ve even offered incentives and changed the way they recruit, like holding large hiring events in hopes of speeding up the application process. 

“I think if the pay stays competitive, the discipline comes down, I think they’ll see more recruitment and retention. You want to keep the people that have the experience of 20-30 years out there on handling assignments for folks,” Gasiewski said.  

Sgt. Diaz said they know they need more officers and are encouraging citizens to join the division.