Resource: Have Clevelanders Lost Interest in Police Reforms?

As the Cleveland Division of Police nears its eighth year under federal oversight, “consent decree fatigue” is hampering the city’s efforts to keep residents interested in the required reforms. Repairing relationships between police and Cleveland residents is a core component of the federal consent decree, but resident participation has been low in recent weeks as the city held public hearings to choose a new police monitoring team. City officials said they want to stop the oversight by the end of 2025. Leigh Anderson, executive director of a new city team aimed at measuring the consent decree’s progress, said Cleveland needs a PR blitz to galvanize residents around the costly reforms.