Cleveland City Leaders Claim Crime is Down: What the I-Team Discovered
CLEVELAND (WJW) – On Wednesday, the FOX 8 I-Team pressed Cleveland city leaders with tough questions about safety in the city.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and police officials recently reported a significant decrease in homicides and other crimes. The mayor described the summer safety plan as a success, but the city’s crime statistics have faced scrutiny from viewers, recent crime victims, and some city council members.
The I-Team investigated the effectiveness of the current strategies and uncovered discrepancies in the crime data.
This summer has seen tragic incidents, including the shooting death of Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter, the fatal shooting of a 10-year-old girl, and a 7-year-old boy killed by a hit-and-run driver.
Mayor Bibb reported a more than one-third reduction in the homicide rate over the summer. However, there is a mismatch between the reported statistics and those maintained by the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit.
Cleveland Deputy Chief of Police Ali Pillow explained the discrepancy: “The term homicide refers to an individual killed by another person. Our homicide unit’s numbers reflect actual investigations, but Uniform Crime Reporting, which is used for FBI statistics, includes criteria that might reduce the count. Recent legislation has impacted how we report these figures.”
Pillow elaborated, “We may have 90 investigations, but Uniform Crime Reporting excludes justifiable homicides. New legislation over the past few years has required us to adjust our reporting methods.”
According to the city, violent crime overall has decreased by more than 10%. However, cases of rape, burglary, and arson have risen.
A city worker who was robbed this summer expressed her fear to the I-Team, asking to remain anonymous: “I am terrified and scared. It’s just getting worse, and it needs to be acknowledged.”
Mayor Bibb acknowledged that there is still work to be done. “Data tells one story, but I don’t want anyone in our city to feel scared of gunshots,” he said.
The I-Team also questioned the chronic shortage of police officers, which often leads to delays in responding to emergency calls. Records revealed a case where a woman reported an attack in a downtown parking garage, but dispatch followed up three hours later to ask if she still needed police assistance.
Bibb admitted, “Do we have more work to do as a city? Absolutely. But this data shows that our police division is working hard to keep our streets safe.”
City leaders also affirmed their efforts to recruit more police officers, despite ongoing departures from the force.
Former Cleveland Senior Safety Adviser Phillip McHugh, who played a key role in developing the summer safety plan, resigned in May but provided a statement to the I-Team on Wednesday.
“As a Cleveland resident, I’m grateful for the hard work the city puts in to keep people safe every day, especially our brave police officers. As one of the architects of this plan, I’m proud of the results, which prove the value of data-driven crime prevention efforts that engage community and the whole-of-government. I’m hopeful that this approach will be sustained and perfected under Mayor Bibb’s leadership.”
