CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 23: Tanis Quach, of Cleveland, protests in front of the Justice Building. People take to the streets and protest in reaction to Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo being acquitted of manslaughter charges after he shot two people at the end of a 2012 car chase in which officers fired 137 shots May 23, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. After leading police on a 20-mile chase, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams were shot dead after Officer Brelo jumped onto the hood of the car and unleashing a fatal barrage of gunfire. Ricky Rhodes /Getty Images
Cleveland reached a settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for its “jaw-dropping” pattern of excessive police force and unconstitutional behavior, The New York Times reports. Going forward, pistol whipping and firing warning shots is prohibited, and a city monitor will be keeping tabs. If these new, more strict rules aren’t followed, a judge will demand that changes be put in place.
The DOJ launched an investigation into the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) months after the deadly shooting of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, two unarmed Black occupants of a car that was on the road in 2012. By December 2014, the DOJ issued a scathing report that found Cleveland police officers were out of line — and officials turned a blind eye to it.
Over the weekend, a judge announced that Officer Michael Brelo had been acquitted of voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault after firing 15 bullets in the car the pair was in. In total 137 bullets were fired into the car after Russell led the police on a 22-mile chase. The chase began when the car backfired and undercover cops mistook the noise for a gunshot. The chase ended in a parking lot. Thirteen officers fired at the car at that point, but only Brelo, a former Marine, was charged. He jumped atop of the hood of the car and fired downward, directly into the vehicle, according to CNN. Brelo said he feared for his life and that of his partner.
Fast forward to Memorial Day and Cleveland reached an agreement with the DOJ for their questionable policing tactics. At this point, however, the terms of the settlement are unknown. But the NY Times says that in similar cases, the DOJ mandates a monitor to supervise changes, which includes policy adjustments and improved training in the police department.
Last year, the CPD settled with the families of both victims for more than $865,000.
According to the Washington Post, “Deeply troubling to us was that some of the specially-trained investigators who are charged with conducting unbiased reviews of officers’ use of deadly force admitted to us that they conduct their investigations with the goal of casting the accused officer in the most positive light possible,” the DOJ said. “This admitted bias […] cuts at the heart of the accountability system at CDP.”
DOJ investigators found that the CDP frequently violated the Fourth Amendment by using unreasonable and deadly force to apprehend suspects, such as shootings, head strikes with impact weapons, tasers, chemical sprays, and fists, WP added.
“The employment of poor and dangerous tactics places officers and civilians at unnecessary risk,” the DOJ said.
The settlement may assuage the Saturday protesters who stormed the streets of Cleveland after an Ohio judge acquitted Brelo.
