© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
News
To contact us with news tips, story ideas or other related information, e-mail newsstaff@ideastream.org.

Cleveland Offers To Pay For Small Agency Jail Costs With Conditions

In June of 2017, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and officials from the county and City of Cleveland announced plans to house city prisoners at the county jail during a press conference outside Cleveland City Hall. [Matt Richmond / ideastream]

Cleveland is offering to pay jail costs for people arrested by private police forces around the city, but the proposal includes a few new requirements.

In letters dated Aug. 14 to police agencies run by Metrohealth, University Circle, Inc., Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, RTA, Tri-C, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Cleveland schools, Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospitals, the city proposed new training requirements covering use of force, bias-free policing, police pursuit, and crisis intervention.

The agencies would also adopt the city’s use of force and police pursuit policies and each would have to establish a civilian board to hear complaints against the police.

Detainees must also be charged within 36 hours and no one charged with a fourth  degree misdemeanor will be brought to jail.

Cleveland covered the cost of housing detainees from the 10 departments when the city ran its own jail. Now Cleveland sends detainees to the county jail at a cost of $99 a day per person.

The proposed requirements would take effect Dec. 1.

Matthew Richmond is a reporter/producer focused on criminal justice issues at Ideastream Public Media.