05/11/2026
Concerns About Expanding Role of Police Accountability Team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Black Lives Matter Cleveland, Citizens for a Safer Cleveland, and The Angelo Miller Foundation Raise Concerns Regarding Expanding Role of Police Accountability Team
CLEVELAND, OH — Black Lives Matter Cleveland, Citizens for a Safer Cleveland, and The Angelo Miller Foundation are raising serious concerns following the presentation delivered by Dr. Leigh Anderson and the Police Accountability Team (PAT) during last week Wednesday’s Cleveland City Council Public Safety Committee meeting.
The presentation outlined a rapidly expanding role for PAT across multiple areas of Cleveland’s police accountability infrastructure, including:
disciplinary assessment preparation,
CPC records request tracking and auditing,
centralized data management,
interagency coordination,
oversight workflow development,
public engagement strategy,
mediation and conflict-resolution training,
and advocacy regarding the City’s compliance progress before the Department of Justice, Monitoring Team, and federal court.
Our concern is not that agencies are coordinating.
Our concern is that the presentation reflected what appears to be the gradual development of a centralized oversight-management structure operating around — and potentially over — independent accountability systems established under Section 115 of the Cleveland City Charter.
The Community Police Commission (CPC) was created to function as an independent civilian oversight body accountable to the public — not as a subordinate operational arm of the City administration.
Several components of the presentation require immediate public clarification.
PAT described:
centralized tracking systems for CPC records requests,
auditing processes related to document production,
development of RACI matrices defining oversight roles and responsibilities,
internal review processes tied to police discipline assessments,
and ongoing coordination frameworks involving multiple oversight stakeholders.
PAT also stated that part of its “path forward” includes advocating for recognition of the City’s compliance progress before the Monitoring Team, Department of Justice, and Court.
That statement is significant.
It confirms that PAT is functioning as an advocate for the City’s institutional compliance position.
Because of that role, it is essential that independent oversight bodies maintain clear structural independence, independent reporting authority, and independent access to information.
The issue raised by this presentation is not simply one of efficiency or collaboration.
The issue is whether Cleveland is moving toward what amounts to functional consolidation of oversight authority through administrative systems, workflow control, records management, and centralized coordination — even without formally eliminating independent oversight bodies.
That distinction matters deeply as Cleveland approaches a possible transition into a post-Consent Decree environment.
The public deserves clear answers to several questions:
Who controls the systems governing CPC records requests and accountability tracking?
Will PAT have authority over oversight timelines, workflows, or information-sharing processes?
Has the City conducted a legal analysis regarding how these expanding functions intersect with Section 115 protections?
What safeguards exist to prevent administrative coordination from becoming operational control?
What role will independent oversight bodies and the public have in shaping any long-term post-Decree accountability structure?
The presentation also highlighted expanded partnerships involving data analytics firms, academic institutions, mediation training organizations, and community engagement initiatives.
While research, training, and public engagement can play important roles in reform efforts, community trust cannot replace independent civilian oversight, public transparency, or accountability safeguards.
As Cleveland moves closer to the next phase of police reform, the City must ensure that efficiency and coordination do not come at the expense of oversight independence and public accountability.
Black Lives Matter Cleveland, Citizens for a Safer Cleveland, and The Angelo Miller Foundation are calling for:
Immediate public release of any governance frameworks, RACI matrices, or oversight coordination structures currently under development;
Public clarification regarding PAT’s authority, limitations, and relationship to independent oversight entities;
A formal legal review regarding Section 115 compliance implications;
Public hearings regarding any proposed post-Consent Decree accountability structure;
Written safeguards protecting the independence of civilian oversight bodies, including CPC access to records, reporting authority, and operational autonomy.
The future of police accountability in Cleveland must be decided transparently, publicly, and with full protection of the independent oversight structures that Cleveland residents fought to establish.
Media Contacts
LaTonya Goldsby
President
Black Lives Matter Cleveland
[email protected]
Brenda Bickerstaff
Citizens for a Safer Cleveland
[email protected]
Alicia Kirkman
The Angelo Miller Foundation
[email protected]
Safety Committee – May 6, 2026
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