Federal judge to mull request from Cleveland, DOJ to end police consent decree

Описание: A federal judge said Friday he will not rush a decision on whether to end Cleveland's court-ordered police reform agreement, with the city and the U.S. Department of Justice facing mounting pushback over their joint request to terminate the consent decree.

The city and DOJ filed a motion Thursday asking Northern Ohio U.S. District Senior Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. to dissolve the 2015 agreement, which imposed federal oversight on the Cleveland Division of Police following a Justice Department investigation that found a pattern of excessive force. City officials argue Cleveland has made substantial progress and is ready to return full oversight of the police department to local control.

"This is not about the politics of the federal government," Delanté Thomas, Cleveland's chief assistant director of law, said. He described the request as "an opportunity for us to take local control over what's happening," also stating that the city has a "demonstrable record" of progress under the decree and intends to continue reform efforts even if federal oversight ends.

But the move has drawn criticism from some civil rights advocates, who question whether the city has achieved full compliance.

"To suggest that they are in substantial compliance, I think, is somewhat disingenuous," said attorney James Hardiman, who has long been involved in civil rights advocacy in Cleveland. He believes the city should commit to eliminating unconstitutional practices "for as long as it takes."

Natalie Clydesdale reports: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/loc...