Kaitlin Durbin

6 days ago | cleveland.com | Kaitlin Durbin

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cuyahoga County Council may be taking steps to disband the sheriff department’s controversial Downtown Safety Patrol, following a high-speed chase that resulted in two deaths. Council members Sunny Simon, Michael Gallagher and Michael Houser have proposed legislation to prohibit the sheriff from spending any money on the downtown patrol, which would effectively disband the unit.

1 week ago | cleveland.com | Kaitlin Durbin

CLEVELAND, Ohio – While drug overdose and homicide deaths are falling in Cuyahoga County, suicides are on the rise, especially in the Black community, according to data presented by Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson. He reported 208 suicides last year, a major increase over pandemic figures, when he said suicide deaths “curiously” dipped to a low of 176, despite worries about increased despair and isolation.

1 week ago | cleveland.com | Kaitlin Durbin

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Repairs and upgrades to Progressive Field and Rocket Arena continue to tally, but for now, Gateway, the publicly funded landlord that manages the facilities, won’t need to borrow any more money to pay for them. The Gateway board, on Wednesday, unanimously approved $375,883 in spending to replace seven computer servers that run the scoreboard and ribbon boards around Progressive Field.

1 week ago | cleveland.com | Kaitlin Durbin

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department was accused of maintaining “off book” bank accounts and unauthorized spending based on investigations conducted last year, marking six such investigations over a two-year period, according to the county’s internal watchdog. In a presentation Tuesday, Inspector General Alexa Beeler stressed that investigations did not find evidence of abuse or fraud, but there was potential for it due to a lack of oversight and proper controls.

1 week ago | cleveland.com | Kaitlin Durbin

CLEVELAND, Ohio – When he was convicted of domestic violence, Akeem Smith believed he would serve his time and then get a second chance to do better. That’s supposed to be the deal, anyway. The criminal justice system’s purpose is to hold people accountable for wrongdoing, rehabilitate them so they don’t reoffend and then send them back home to be productive members of their communities. And in part, it did work that way for Smith. He was held accountable. He did his time – five years.