43 properties on the nuisance list in Second Police District

Scene at the Second District Community Relations Safety meeting

The July 14 Cleveland Police Second District Community Relations Safety Meeting began around 6:03 p.m. with the pledge of allegiance. About 40 people were present.

Second Police District Commander Tim Maffo-Judd thanked the community for their support with fighting crime, then provided some statistics.

Note: The Second District includes the near West and near Southwest parts of Cleveland.

Calls for service 

• 5,399 calls were handled by the district since the previous month’s meeting.
• Since Jan. 1, the district has handled 30,240 calls for service.
• The Second District has one of the highest call volumes in the city, second only to the Fourth District, according to Maffo-Judd.

Traffic stops

• Officers conducted 157 traffic stops since the last meeting.
• For the year-to-date, there have been 1,076 traffic stops in the district.

Arrests

• Forty-two arrests have been made since the previous month’s meeting.
• Since Jan. 1, a total of 471 arrests have been made in the Second District.

Community and Problem-Oriented Policing (CPOP) follow-ups 

• Officers completed 544 CPOP follow-ups since the last meeting.
• For the year-to-date, 5,210 CPOP follow-ups have been conducted, which Maffo-Judd said is the highest amount in the city.
• 295 Park, Walk and Talks occurred since the last meeting.
• A total of 1,219 of them have been completed for the year-to-date.

Nuisance properties

• The district is currently tracking 43 properties on the nuisance property list.
• Eight properties have been officially declared as nuisance properties and were issued warning letters.
• Eighteen properties have been issued excessive use letters for generating more than three 911 calls in a rolling 12-month period.
  

Maffo-Judd thanked everyone for coming. He suggested to the community that if there were any other questions or concerns that he could address, attendees should feel free to stay after to speak with him, so he can address those concerns directly with them.

Maffo-Judd then introduced Jake Schettler, an attorney from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office. Schettler provided updates on several criminal cases, including recent convictions and cases currently in the pre-trial phase. A community member also used this time to ask questions regarding the sentencing and plea process for a violent crime they said they experienced.

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John Caine, the meeting secretary, emphasized that the meetings are intended to be a “two-way street” for police and community interaction and invited residents to provide feedback on what they would like to see addressed in future meetings. 

Emily Lebron, the Hispanic Liaison for the City of Cleveland, introduced herself and explained her role in helping the Hispanic community navigate city resources and report complaints.

Fire Department updates

Lt. Mike Norman shared fire safety reminders, including the dangers of water-related accidents, tick safety, and the importance of working smoke alarms. He also announced a new technology being implemented in fire trucks that alerts drivers to nearby fire trucks using their smartphone navigation apps.

A resident noted that a neighborhood meeting was scheduled for July 16 to discuss the new Lincoln West High School building and get community feedback on its design.

The National Night Out Against Crime event will be held on Aug. 4 at Steelyard Commons from 4 to 8 p.m. Police officers will be selling hot dogs.

The meeting treasurer, Rose Roy, gave a budget report for meeting functions as of July 14. The beginning balance was $10,816.39, the 50/50 raffle income was $24, and the interest was $18, so the ending balance was $10,840.48. Roy requested approval — and received it — for the June Safety Fair expenses, which were $402.78. Roy recognized the work of the Safety Fair volunteers. 

A representative from New Beginning Ministries invited the community to its annual family and friends event on Aug. 16.

Samantha Montanez from the Office of Professional Standards explained the role of her office, which investigates non-criminal complaints against Cleveland police officers. 

Starr Solomon from Kent State University discussed a survey on crime and safety in Cleveland and how the aim is that data from the survey will be used for police training. 

Another speaker said volunteers are needed for the upcoming National Night Out Against Crime.

 The meeting was adjourned, with about 50 people present, at 6:58 p.m.

[Editor’s note: Find handouts from the meeting here.] 

These notes are by Documenter Charles Hill. Audio recorded by Documenter Moneak Jones.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.