Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath responded today to calls for his resignation from the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association by issuing this message to the community*:
A
Message From the Chief to the Community
Over the past few days, the investigative file
regarding the use of deadly force by Cleveland Police Officers on November 29,
2012 was released and the public discussion surrounding this incident has
intensified. It is important for you to know directly from me where we stand.
On November 30th, I promised you that the
administrative review process would be thorough, fair and transparent and that
the outcome would be just for all those involved. That commitment still holds
true today. The administrative review is ongoing and it will continue,
regardless of the public discussion or the criticisms directed towards me, the
Division of Police or the Administration.
To date, the review committee has reviewed the
police radio communications, video recordings from several sources, automated
vehicle locator (AVL) data, and duty reports for all 62 cars involved in the
incident. We have interviewed supervisors from the 1st, 4th and 5th Districts
and now that the State Bureau of Criminal Investigations has completed its review,
we have begun interviewing the remaining officers, including supervisors from
the 2nd and 3rd Districts.
The committee drove the pursuit route to view
vehicular and pedestrian traffic, road conditions, lighting, and other
conditions at the time of pursuit. They have reviewed relevant general police
orders on pursuit, emergency response driving, road spikes, and duty reports.
And, since BCI has released its files, we can now include that information in
our review.
I have not drawn any conclusions regarding what
took place on November 29th and will not until my review is finished. In the
end, I will share with you the results of the review and what actions, if any,
the Division of Police will take moving forward.
I have been in law enforcement for nearly 40
years. I took an oath of office to serve this community and I will continue to
honor that oath. I take seriously my responsibility to the people I serve and
the officers I command. I have not forgotten what it is like to be a patrol
officer or a detective or a supervisor. I am the same Mike McGrath today as I
was then and I’ll be the same Mike McGrath tomorrow. I know how difficult
police work is and how much incidents like that which occurred on November 29th
affect our community, our families and our officers.
That is why I am staying the course with the
administrative review. Our process will continue to be thorough and the results
will be fair. If we find policy and rule violations, we will hold officers
accountable. If we find that officers did not violate our policies and rules,
they will continue to have my full support.
Michael McGrath, Chief
Cleveland Division of Police
Cleveland Division of Police
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