New Cleveland Police chief hopes small changes like allowing beards will improve officer morale

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Some law enforcement officials within the metropolis might now look just a little extra informal in ball caps.

That’s simply one of many small modifications coming to Cleveland Police that would have a big effect.

That’s what Cleveland’s new police chief hopes.

Chief Wayne Drummond is tackling morale and recruitment one step at a time.

He’s worn the badge on this metropolis for greater than three many years.

Mayor Justin Bibb introduced he bought the “prime cop” spot Thursday. You possibly can learn extra about it right here.

Drummond is permitting officers to put on ball caps, and beards and present tattoos on the job.

Issues like this have gotten extra accepted at many police departments throughout the nation as they wrestle to draw recruits.

Right here in Cleveland, 19 Investigates proceed to report that CPD is shedding officers to suburban departments and different cities.

One purpose officers cite is morale.

We appeared on the metropolis’s 2021 year-end report centered on public security recruitment.

Exit surveys, taken largely by law enforcement officials who left the pressure, present 87 p.c cite worker morale as one thing they might change.

One officer wrote “worker morale is struggling.”

Drummond mentioned these seemingly small modifications weren’t simple choices to make. He referred to as himself a “traditionalist” throughout the mayor’s announcement.

“You’ll see officers now with beards and tattoos. It’s one thing I struggled with, to be trustworthy, however I do know it’s vital. It’s vital for retention, it’s vital for recruitment and so forth. These are the issues I’m doing which are actually small issues, however vital for officers so far as retention,” Drummond mentioned.

Modifications like this might additionally assist make officers extra relatable to the folks they serve.

Chief Drummond actually believes they’ll go a good distance.

Columbus Police only in the near past modified over to ballcaps.

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