After a year that included the deaths of two bystanders during chases, questions about the credibility of one of its members, and reports that it disproportionately ticketed Black drivers, Cuyahoga County’s Downtown Safety Patrol unit has a new name and a new focus.
As Cuyahoga County this week weighs what funding to include in its upcoming budget, the controversial unit has once again been put under the microscope ahead of big changes.
The unit is now named the vaguely titled Community Support Unit, which seems to better reflect the patrol’s new jurisdiction orders—all of Cuyahoga County, not just the city center of Downtown Cleveland…