CLEVELAND — Traffic citations in Cleveland have dropped 73% over the last 10 years, according to a public records request. The decline is drawing concern from residents and city leaders.
Citations fell from more than 15,000 in 2015 to just over 4,000 in 2025. Revenue from those citations also dropped, falling from $4 million between 2016 and 2019 to about $1.5 million in recent years.
Cleveland resident Fred Wahba said speeding cars in his neighborhood have pushed him and his dog, Fluffy, to Edgewater Beach for their daily walks.
"I pray every minute when I walk. 'Please God. Keep us safe. We don't want to get hurt,'" he said.
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Wahba said he used to see Cleveland police officers regularly in his neighborhood, but that has changed.
"[It] used to be a lot," he said. "They used to be in a corner watching people, but not anymore."
Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek, who represents Ward 10, said the numbers are unacceptable. He said speeding is the top complaint he hears from constituents.
"In 1950, we did more traffic enforcement in this city," he said. "I mean it's ridiculous."
Polensek said he and other city council members were extremely disappointed in the administration's approach to traffic enforcement.
Cleveland Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Freddy Diaz said the reason behind the decline is not a straightforward answer.
"It's not a simple yes-or-no type of answer in terms of traffic citations and enforcement," he said.
Diaz said the biggest factor is a shift in how policing is done in the city, with the department now more focused on areas with historically high rates of traffic violations. Drones, cameras and other new technology help patrol those areas. However, parades, protests and other events can pull the 22 officers assigned to the traffic bureau away from those duties.
"A decline isn't a bad thing per se," Diaz said. "But it's more the fact that we are more focused on what's important, which is public safety."
Diaz said the department is actively working to address concerns about officer visibility.
"Perception is someone's reality," he said. "It's not lost on us that the perception is we are not out there. We are constantly evaluating how we can change that."
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Polensek said the declining numbers reinforce his and other council members' interest in bringing speed cameras back to Cleveland streets. Any return of speed cameras would require voter approval — a measure Cleveland residents have weighed in on before.
Meanwhile, Wahba said he wants his neighborhood to be safer for everyone.
"It should be a safe community," he said. "Stop people [from] getting hurt. It's not right."
