Cleveland has agreed to some of the nation’s toughest limits on the use of police force under a settlement with a federal government. Officers are now barred from firing warning shots and pistol-whipping suspects, and can no longer use force against those who talk back or run away. The police force will also undergo increased training on racial bias and will be tracked by an independent monitor. U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said the terms could be a model for other police forces nationwide.

U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach: “We have signed and are filing this 105-page comprehensive consent decree that, once approved by a federal judge, will not only serve as a roadmap for reform in Cleveland but as a national model for any police department that is ready to escort a great city to the forefront of the 21st century. And even though we are speaking, what we are announcing here today is way more than just talk.”

The consent agreement was reached after the Justice Department sued Cleveland over a pattern of unlawful abuses uncovered in a probe last year.
It comes just days after an officer was acquitted in the fatal shootings of two unarmed African Americans in their car, sparking protests that continued on Tuesday. Mayor Frank Jackson called it a defining moment for Cleveland.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson: “I want to say that this is really a defining moment for the city of Cleveland and for the citizens of the city of Cleveland. It will define who we are as a people and who we are as a city. Over the last several days, the general peaceful response to the Officer Brelo verdict has reinforced my belief that Cleveland is a community where peaceful demonstrations and dialogue will and can provide for change and will make a lasting difference for the people of the city of Cleveland.”