Min Dale Edwards Executive Director Call and Post

 After more than a decade under federal oversight, the issue of police reform in Cleveland, Ohio stands at a pivotal moment — with officials saying major progress has been made, while critics caution that challenges remain. 

On **Thursday, February 19, 2026 the City of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion to terminate the 2015 federal consent decree — a court-enforced agreement designed to overhaul the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) and ensure constitutional policing. If approved by a federal judge, oversight would shift fully to local authorities. 

“We’ve built the systems to get to this moment,” said Mayor Justin Bibb in a press briefing, asserting that accountability and reform are now embedded in department practices. Officials highlight marked improvements in use-of-force policies, crisis intervention training, and data-driven review of stops and searches. A recent federal assessment showed that 97% of use-of-force incidents reviewed were considered constitutional — evidence, leaders say, that years of reform are paying off. 

Supporters of ending federal oversight argue that Cleveland has transformed elements of policing culture that once drew national scrutiny:

• Replacement of outdated practices: The consent decree required new policies on use of force, searches, and misconduct investigations that have now become part of department standards. 
• Enhanced accountability: The city’s Police Accountability Team and data analytics partnerships are designed to ensure local review is ongoing and transparent. 
• Recruitment and retention gains: Broad reforms under Mayor Bibb’s RISE public safety initiative — including improved pay, recruitment strategies, and modern facilities — have helped boost staffing levels in the police force. 
• Crime prevention efforts: City data show decreases in several violent crime categories concurrent with these strategies, which fans of reform link to more effective and community-tailored policing. 

Many supporters contend that the consent decree, by requiring action on deeply rooted problems, helped embed reforms that can now be sustained locally.

Despite the progress lauded by city leaders, critics argue that serious issues persist:

• Racial disparities in policing: Federal monitoring reports and independent analyses have found that Black drivers continue to be stopped and searched at significantly higher rates than white drivers — even if most stops are ruled constitutional under review criteria. This has fuelled calls for deeper structural changes, not just compliance ticks. 
• Trust gap in communities: Civil rights advocates and neighborhood groups argue that data showing improved policy compliance do not fully address community perceptions of fairness and police-community relations.
• Fear of rollback: Some watchdogs both locally and nationally warn that ending federal oversight risks losing an important external check on reform progress. Their concern is that short-term shifts in leadership or priorities could erode hard-won gains.
• Transparency issues: Separate controversies — including debates over bodycam footage access and the pace of technology policy oversight — fuel broader skepticism about department transparency and accountability beyond the consent decree.

For now, Cleveland remains in a transition phase. The motion to end federal oversight must be reviewed and approved by a federal judge. In the meantime, city officials emphasize continued engagement with residents, data tracking, and local oversight bodies as the foundation of future policing practices.

As Cleveland stands poised to “graduate” from one of the nation’s longest-running police consent decrees, the debate over how best to balance accountability, safety, and community trust remains at the forefront of civic discussion.