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Police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in Cleveland, Ohio
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
|---|
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| • Police collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) • Ballotpedia CBA dashboard •Reform proposals •CBA areas of inquiry and disagreement •Arguments about police collective bargaining • Index of articles about criminal justice policy |
| Click here for more analysis of police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements by state and city on Ballotpedia |
This page provides an overview of policies related to the hiring, training, and discipline of police officers in Cleveland, Ohio. It is part of an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
Background
Ballotpedia in 2023 examined the collective bargaining agreements, statutes, and regulatory codes governing the 50 states and the top 100 US cities by population through the lens of a series of research questions related to police hiring, training, and discipline.
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
Results
The tables below link to each question Ballotpedia used to analyze the states and cities and indicate how Cleveland handles police hiring, training, and discipline. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
CBA basics
| CBA basics | Results |
|---|---|
| Is the current CBA publicly available online? | YES |
| Is there a CBA with the police union? | YES |
Discipline and accountability
| Discipline and accountability | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to discipline for misconduct? | YES |
Primary discipline authority: City of Cleveland, Police Department; Types: Suspension, demotion, discharge; Restricted aspects: N/A; Challenge/appeal process: Union grievance procedureEmployee bill of rights lists employee's right to be informed prior to investigatory interview of charges. The employee has the right to union representation at such an interview. When a complaint is filed more than 6 months after the incident and the complaint cannot lead to a criminal charge, the employee may be ordered to respond to the complaint but shall not be disciplined for it. There is a grievance procedure available to officers to appeal disciplinary action. Officers seeking a grievance must submit it in writing and have it signed by a union representative within 14 days. Step 1 of the process is to submit the grievance to the chief of police to be discussed with the union president. If the chief's determination is not satisfactory, Step 2 is to submit the grievance to the safety director for review with the union president. If the safety director's determination is not satisfactory, Step 3 is to submit the grievance to the Department of Human Resources for review. If the department's determination is not satisfactory, Step 4 allows the union to submit the grievance to a third-party arbitrator. | |
| Does the CBA forbid the transfer or reassignment of an officer as a form of discipline? | NO |
| Do officers have a right to request third-party arbitration for grievances, including over disciplinary actions? | YES |
Condition: Discipline may be subject to the grievance/arbitration procedure; Selection: Selection should follow the rules of the American Arbitration Association; Provider: American Arbitration Association; Arbitrator authority: The arbitrator only has jurisdiction over the dispute in questionAppeals to arbitration must be submitted within 30 days of the grievance procedure decision | |
| Does the CBA explicitly allow for a state ombudsman outside particular police departments to hold law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct? | NO |
Legal limitations or provisions
| Legal limitations or provisions | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the city CBA prohibit felons from becoming law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Are there any statutes or regulations that prohibit collective bargaining with police unions? | NO |
Training and counseling
Community relations and oversight
| Community relations and oversight | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA reference citizen review boards? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions related to community policing? | YES |
Mentions Community Services Unit | |
Investigations
| Investigations | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to misconduct investigations? | YES |
Officer bill of rights regarding investigation and procedure; Disciplinary suspension and procedure | |
| Does the CBA require notice to officers of investigations? | YES |
Conditions: N/A; Timeline: Must receive notice prior to questioning; Content: Must include the nature of the investigation | |
| Does the CBA determine a timeline for investigations? | YES |
Timeline to launch: N/A; Timeline to conclude: 1 year | |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to compensation during misconduct investigations? | NO |
Evidence and records
| Evidence and records | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA have provisions related to the use of body-worn cameras or body-worn camera video evidence? | NO |
| Does the CBA regulate processes for retaining officer disciplinary records? | NO |
Record storage: N/A; Storage authority: N/A; Types of records: Disciplinary written reprimands; Timeline: N/A; Access and use: N/A; Use in decisions: N/A | |
Qualifications and evaluation
| Qualifications and evaluation | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA require performance evaluations? | NO |
| Does the CBA restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments? | NO |
Union authority
| Union authority | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA limit union authority to pay and benefits issues? | NO |
| Does the CBA give the union the power to approve or disapprove new training programs for law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions involving the union in the process for promotions, unit assignments, and transfers? | YES |
City has right to transfer, assign, promote; City will provide union with list of new hires, assignments and transfers; City shall provide union with copy of vacant positions when posted | |
See also
Footnotes
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