CLEVELAND — In neighborhoods across Cleveland, the frustration about increasing crime is heating up like the temperatures in August.
"That's what makes it scarier now to come out at night in my own neighborhood, in my own community," said Juan Santiago, a Cleveland resident.
Cleveland City Council members said they're hearing the frustration from residents daily.
"We've always had crime, but I don't think that we've ever had crime to this capacity," said Vivian Nelson.
The Cleveland City Council Safety Committee spent more than four hours asking the police chief and the safety director asking questions and looking for answers.
Staffing levels of the Cleveland Police Department are approaching 1920 levels. There are 1,231 Cleveland Police officers, according to city officials. "I'm concerned, but I'm hopeful," said Karrie Howard, director of public safety.
City Council approved funding for 180 new police officers. Right now, there are 37 new police officers.
"No, I don't think that we'll make that 180 this year. But I do think that we'll go into next year looking to change that budgeted number," said Howard.
As a way to get more feet on the street, the city is negotiating with the union about higher wages, retention bonuses and more. Right now, some police officers assigned to specialized units are being put in patrol cars to help with mandatory staffing levels.
Committee members brought up Issue 24 and the consent decree; they said policies designed to help were actually hampering police officers' ability to do their jobs, including the pursuit policy. Criminals have the idea that Cleveland police officers will not chase them, but top CPD officials said that is simply not true and that talks are in the works to revisit that policy.
"Perhaps some of that language needs to be changed. That language needs to be supportive of officers to do what they need to do constitutionally," said Howard.
When asked what he thought about the response from police officials at the meeting, City Council Safety Chair Mike Polensek said, "The proof will be in the pudding; I look at the numbers we are at record levels of violence and crime in the city of Cleveland."
"We want aggressive policing in the city," Polensek added.
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