CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cuyahoga County Council may be taking steps to disband the sheriff department’s controversial Downtown Safety Patrol, following a high-speed chase that resulted in two deaths.
Council members Sunny Simon, Michael Gallagher and Michael Houser have proposed legislation to prohibit the sheriff from spending any money on the downtown patrol, which would effectively disband the unit. It also goes a step further, preventing the sheriff from standing up any similar units under different names, without council’s express approval.
“For the purposes of this Resolution the ‘Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Downtown Safety Patrol Unit’ means any unit for which the County dedicates law enforcement staffing or other resources specifically targeted in or around the downtown area within the City of Cleveland, excluding activities directly related to the security or operations of the County Jail or Courthouse,” the legislation reads. “The Sheriff shall seek budgetary approval from County Council prior to the creation or deployment of any similar law enforcement unit within the City of Cleveland or other jurisdiction within or outside of Cuyahoga County.”…