How has crime been this year? (Columbus, Cleveland: crime rates, buy, university)

[bjimmy24]

Serious question. In the last couple years, seems like everyone was talking about an explosion of crime in the city. This year, I believe over 100 police officers have left the force and CPD numbers are well below what is budgeted for. This, to me, is scary indeed.

Does anyone have any stats as to crime rates in 2022? I can't say I've heard too much. At least around me, there doesn't seem to be much going on. Wondering how it is elsewhere in the city.

On a sidenote, I've recently seen that the City of Columbus pays their police VERY well. In Cleveland, an officer will make $74k after 5 years on the job. In Columbus? After just 4 years you make $103k! (https://www.columbus.gov/police-officer/salary/)t I have to ask - why would anyone want to be a police officer in one of the nation's most dangerous cities for such a mediocre salary when you could be making 6 figures in a relatively similar place? Do they rely on sheer civic pride of Cleveland officers? Something really isn't right here. And then we wonder why so many Cleveland cops are no good...

[216facts]

Columbus is no cake walk, they had over 200 murders last year. At the end of the day, its market rate economics, and it is more expensive to live down there, if you buy a home.

Interesting story on Cleveland Police report:

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/...n-arrests.html

"To address what some consider low pay, the city yesterday ratified a new contract that will generate a salary bump of 11 percent over three years."

And crime may be going down...slightly
https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/09/...-improvements/

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by 216facts

Columbus is no cake walk, they had over 200 murders last year. At the end of the day, its market rate economics, and it is more expensive to live down there, if you buy a home.

Interesting story on Cleveland Police report:

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/...n-arrests.html

"To address what some consider low pay, the city yesterday ratified a new contract that will generate a salary bump of 11 percent over three years."

And crime may be going down...slightly
https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/09/...-improvements/

It’s not that much more expensive than cleveland or even close. 75 vs 104…. But also I mean look at the suburbs of cleveland too. Doesn’t add up.

[bjimmy24]

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/...SZSnKNnc8ty7uo

30% of the Cle PD has left since 2020. Another 419 eligible to retire in 2023.

This is really, really bad. Also, such a bi-polar view of the police around here. Simultaneously the police are THE problem, but also people want to see them roll down the street. How do you square these circles?

[216facts]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/...SZSnKNnc8ty7uo

30% of the Cle PD has left since 2020. Another 419 eligible to retire in 2023.

This is really, really bad. Also, such a bi-polar view of the police around here. Simultaneously the police are THE problem, but also people want to see them roll down the street. How do you square these circles?

I think most people fully support the police, but like any organization, expect there to be checks and balances that evaluate good and bad behavior in the field. The political pundits like to paint a one-sided picture, but I find this not to be the case. There is a lot of common ground amongst people on this. But I don't want to start a political discussion nor be a part of one.

[bjimmy24]

https://fox8.com/news/i-team/clevela...tinues-i-team/

17 new officers graduated from academy this week, max another 14 in the spring, but CPD needs... 300 more officers.

[SlideRules99]

^^ The police retention bonuses should be $10K minimum IMO, not the paltry $3K spread over two years as is currently planned.

Mayor and city council should demonstrate strong leadership and support for the police, and ease away from the fence straddling reflex. Part of this will be keeping the newly powerful Community Police Commission in check.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/...ommission.html

Have said this before, but many of the cool/fun threads in this forum become moot points in the absence of basic public safety in the city.

There are “lessons learned” from other cities that tipped too far in the anti-police direction, with predictable outcomes. It would be a shame if Cleveland repeated those same mistakes.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by SlideRules99

^^ The police retention bonuses should be $10K minimum IMO, not the paltry $3K spread over two years as is currently planned.

Mayor and city council should demonstrate strong leadership and support for the police, and ease away from the fence straddling reflex. Part of this will be keeping the newly powerful Community Police Commission in check.

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/...ommission.html

Have said this before, but many of the cool/fun threads in this forum become moot points in the absence of basic public safety in the city.

There are “lessons learned” from other cities that tipped too far in the anti-police direction, with predictable outcomes. It would be a shame if Cleveland repeated those same mistakes.

To be totally honest, I do fear a complete collapse in public safety in this city. The more you learn about police incentives, understaffing, and the insane crimes that are committed every day, it feels like a) nobody with options should ever want to be a police officer in Cleveland and b) innocent people are suffering every single day from a lack of policing/justice.

I haven't seen anything from Bibb about how he plans to fix this. But right now the future doesnt look good. Certainly there is some time to sort it out but I do not get the impression this is a top priority.

[Urban Peasant]

Law enforcement is an operations job. Everyone from the top brass down has to know how to do their job and do it well in order to win the respect of the public. The police have to be allowed to do their job. Law enforcement policy cannot be dictated by outside individuals looking to score political points or pursue their own narrative unless that narrative happens to be fighting crime period. I once worked at Boston's convention center, which had it own public safety department. I recall hearing the public safety supervisors constantly sharing ideas about different tactics, about what went right and what didn't work, and wondered "Wow, I didn't think that public safety involved so many different procedures", I mean there was actually a science behind it but it was still practical. There were no political narratives involved, just a simple mission of keeping the place safe that's all. That should be where law enforcement starts. Law enforcement isn't about simply pulling guns and giving wild chases, that's all TV police work, but unfortunately that's the stigma left in the minds of much of our increasingly media focused public. That's how many cities end up with poorly trained recruits who don't understand the art and science of law enforcement and who easily get burnt out and fed up.

Nevertheless, politics does influence crime and law enforcement so a city must have good politics. I mentioned it before in an earlier thread, sometimes it takes personal courage from the Mayor and the Cleveland City Council to get the ball started. They have to take it personal whenever anyone in the City falls victim to a crime. Then they have to give full backing to the police and community with a dire warning to perpetrators that an attack on anyone is an attack on all of them. I mean, we should all look forward to the day when the Mayor gets up on television and passionately says "Last night an innocent young man was robbed, assaulted and left for dead at the intersection of Superior and 105th in Glenville. A crime like that should not happen in Glenville, it should not happen in Hough, in Fairfax, in Lee-Miles, in Cudell, Puritas, Kamms Corner, or Ohio City, it should not happen PERIOD! It should not happen to you whether you're Black, you're White, you're Asian, male, female, young, old, or whatever identity you follow. We are all Clevelanders and we should all be proud of our city and united in governing our city but incidents like these put a black eye on our city and we should be tired of it, honestly I'M tired of it. I am a proud Clevelander and to all you perpetrators out there, I'm not afraid of you. You will be just as cowardly when facing me as when you unjustly assaulted that young man at Superior and 105th and when I come for you, believe me I will lock you up! I don't care who or what you are, Black White, Asian, Latino, boy, girl, rich, poor I will come for you and I will lock you up! When you assaulted that young man, you assaulted a community, you assaulted a city, and you assaulted me!"

Pardon the rhetoric but sometimes some bravado is needed to jump start the right direction. It happened once here in Boston when a city councilor's son was mugged on the street some years ago. Attending charity events, meeting economic development investors, and chairing boards are fine but all of those activities may be for naught if people are even afraid to walk the City's streets. It's better to have leadership who are obsessed with fighting crime than leadership that ignores it with a shrug the shoulders "oh, I wasn't the victim, I wasn't there so I don't really know who's wrong, not my problem" attitude.

[bjimmy24]

https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/...-40-years.html

Cuyahoga County tops 200 homicides for the third consecutive year, for first time in 40 years

As of Dec. 11, Cleveland had 155 homicides, according to the medical examiner’s office. Euclid follows with 13, more than double from last year. East Cleveland had 12. The figures are expected to increase as authorities determine the causes of death of pending investigations.

This year, there have been violent deaths in 19 cities and villages in the county. Some suburban cities, such as Valley View, Fairview Park and University Heights, have not reported any.

Parma is seeing a dip in slayings as the department pushes more community policing measures. Last year, the city had six homicides. So far this year, the city has two, according to the medical examiner’s office.