CLEVELAND — Following months of reporting from News 5 Investigators and a push from Cuyahoga County Councilwoman Sunny M. Simon, the sheriff's department is updating its chase policy.
Sheriff Pretel was not at tonight's Cuyahoga County Council meeting.
County Executive Chris Ronayne and Councilwoman Simon briefly discussed efforts to change the pursuit policy.
Simon thanked Ronayne, the sheriff and his team for collaborating to develop a pursuit policy to balance out safety for residents and ensure that pursuits are done safely.
Ronayne said he was grateful for Simon's thoughtful approach, saying that discussions included Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Mike O'Malley and others in law enforcement.
Ronayne called it an 'all-in' effort and said in the coming days he'll report back to council on pursuit policy changes that reflect all of those inputs.
During public comment, the Greater Cleveland NAACP spoke about News 5's reporting on who the Downtown Safety Patrol deputies pull over and the deadly chases.
"The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department should immediately implement a moratorium on all vehicle pursuits originating from non-felony offenses until reforms are made to the vehicle pursuit policy," Cleveland NAACP's Will Tarter said.
Last week, Simon sent a letter to Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel outlining proposed changes to the pursuit policy that would prohibit a deputy from pursuing a vehicle for a minor misdemeanor "absent additional aggravating factors."
Watch News 5 Investigator Tara Morgan's report on the proposed changes:
RELATED: Cuyahoga County Councilwoman wants chase policy for sheriff's department changed
Simon brought up her concerns and proposal during the Cuyahoga County Council Public Safety Committee in the wake of two women, Tamya Westmoreland and Sharday Elder, dying in connection with pursuits. Both women were innocent bystanders in chases.
Watch more about the issue from News 5 Investigator Tara Morgan:
RELATED: Cuyahoga County sheriff dodges questions about Downtown Safety Patrol and 2 deadly chases
In August, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel refused to answer our questions about the chase and crash that killed Elder, a mother of two. Instead, in a statement, he blamed the suspect who sped away from deputies and crashed into Elder.
We later learned that the same deputy, Kasey Loudermilk, was involved in both chases in which Westmoreland and Elder died.
Watch more on the two chases:
RELATED: Cuyahoga County Council President raises concern over deputy chase policy and practice
County Council has been considering pausing funding for the Downtown Safety Patrol, which started in 2023, since Westmoreland's death. Watch more:
RELATED: Cuyahoga County Council moves to suspend the sheriff's Downtown Safety Patrol
