Every branch of Cleveland government will pitch in to stop violence this summer, Mayor Justin Bibb said Tuesday. 

To underscore the point, Bibb brought much of his top staff with him to a news conference at Trent Park in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood, from the deputy police chief to the health director. Memorial Day weekend, just a few days off, marks the start of the summer season – and, often, the start to a spike in deadly shootings. 

So far, the numbers look promising. Homicides this year are down about 31% over the same period last year. Other major crimes, such as robberies and felonious assaults, are also down versus 2023. 

Asked what made his safety plans different from those of past mayors, Bibb directed media attention to the gaggle of people he had assembled from inside and outside City Hall. 

“The teammates and community leaders behind me, that’s what makes this plan different,” Bibb said. “We recognize that we can’t do it alone at City Hall. Police can’t do it alone.”

Police, however, will be doing plenty. They’ve dubbed their plans “Heat Wave.”

The city plans “heavy traffic enforcement” this summer with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Deputy Chief Ali Pillow said. On top of that, law enforcement will conduct one or two sweeps to arrest people with open warrants this summer, he said. Special details will focus their energy on hotspots for violent crime and other offenses. 

“We have identified hotspots, we’ve identified trends and we’ve also listened to the residents in the community where they’re experiencing crime and quality of life issues,” Pillow said.  

Deputy Chief Ali Pillow lays out police safety plans at a news conference in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood.
Deputy Chief Ali Pillow lays out police safety plans at a news conference in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. Credit: Nick Castele / Signal Cleveland

Police working 12-hour shifts, using technology like ShotSpotter

This will be the first summer that officers are working 12-hour shifts – a change in deployment meant to make the best use of the city’s thinning police ranks. In each shift, police will devote a “fast response car” to focus only on the highest-priority calls, using free time to follow up on quality-of-life complaints, Pillow said. 

Data and technology play a key role in summer safety plans, too, Bibb and police leadership said. The city is expanding its use of ShotSpotter devices. Cleveland has also been encouraging residents and business owners to link private security camera footage with the city’s smart camera system, Bibb said. 

“We’re using data and intelligence to really make sure we have precise law enforcement and aggressive law enforcement to get the most violent criminal offenders off our streets with all deliberate speed,” the mayor said.

Police brass promised that officers “have a direct line” to other branches of City Hall. They’ll refer code violations to the building department and help link people to housing or senior services, for instance, Pillow said. 

“Whatever it is that we see outside of crime that’s impacting the community,” Pillow said, “we’ll have a fast track to reach out to our partners behind me right now and have them be able to deploy those resources to help that community.”

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Government Reporter
I follow how decisions made at Cleveland City Hall and Cuyahoga County headquarters ripple into the neighborhoods. I keep an eye on the power brokers and political organizers who shape our government. I am a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and have covered politics and government in Northeast Ohio since 2012.