Cleveland, OH
Traffic Cases In Cleveland Have Declined Dramatically In The Past Decade, Data Shows
Due to a variety of factors, from changes in Cleveland Police policy to an officer shortage, traffic cases in the city have plummeted in the past decade, Scene found.
Through data obtained by public records request, Scene discovered that total traffic cases—from stops by the Cleveland Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority officers and 22 other agencies—have declined roughly 75 percent from 2012 to 2022.
The data, which includes violations spread out across the five police districts, reflects a decade of alterations in police and traffic enforcement policy.
Cleveland Police declined to comment on this story.
Kareem Henton, an organizer at Black Lives Matter Cleveland, told Scene that he believes more nuanced elements are in play, from the effect of ShotSpotter’s expansion across the city in every district to a culture of racial profiling.
Private police forces for Cleveland hospitals have been found to disproportionately ticket Black drivers. The same happens in Bratenahl. And ProPublica found that in recent years 90% of traffic tickets issued by University Circle Inc. officers have been given to Black people.
In 2020, Cleveland Police began piloting what would be a three-year implementation of ShotSpotter technology, acoustic surveillance used to ping officers after gunshot detection, in the Fourth District. In those three years, the city said in a press release, those ShotSpotter detectors captured 10,000 incidents of gunfire, led to 12 lives saved and 66 illegal firearms confiscated from their possessors.
But those ShotSpotter detections, along with too-dark window tints and marijuana-signifying air fresheners, Henton claimed are leveraged by police as excuses for stop-and-frisk searches. And not just for traffic violations, like a near-black front windshield would suggest. (Ohio law dictates that most car windows have to let at least 50 percent light in.)
“Those stops lead to other things,” Henton said. “It was never about the tint to begin with: they wanted to see who was driving. They wanted to see if they had warrants. They wanted to see if they had a driver’s license. If they had anything in the car. That’s what those [stops] are about,” he said.
Other than Henton’s claim of officers using the pine-tree freshener reasoning—which is legal in Ohio—it’s possible that the overall decline in traffic cases mirrors the gradual fall in full-time patrol officers across the city. Last year, Cleveland 19 found that CPD lost 383 officers in the past few years, with the city struggling to bring in new officers. Fewer patrollers, fewer tickets written.
As far as the Fourth District goes, which is 90 percent Black, Henton remains a skeptic about the reason behind the decline.
“It’s all to CPD’s advantage,” he said. “It’s just a matter of skewing the numbers.”
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The Cleveland Guardians have already traded away one of their starters from this past season, sending second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays.
And there appears to be a chance that they make some more moves.
The Guardians are apparently fielding trade offers on first baseman Josh Naylor and outfielder Lane Thomas, and while Naylor is certainly the bigger of the two names, Thomas is also a very interesting piece.
But where could Thomas land?
Well, Caleb Moody of Just Baseball has compiled a short list of the best possible fits for Thomas, and the New York Yankees were among those ballclubs.
“If Thomas can find some of his 2023 form next season, he could provide that middle-of-the-order support for Aaron Judge, with his 20+ homer, .250 AVG and .750 OPS potential to place alongside Jazz Chisholm Jr., Giancarlo Stanton and Austin Wells,” Moody wrote.
The Yankees just lost Juan Soto to the New York Mets, so they could certainly use a fourth outfielder alongside of Judge, Jasson Dominguez and the newly-acquired Cody Bellinger.
While Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander are definitely sexier names, New York would have to shell out wads of cash for either player, and the Yankees may not want to do that after signing Max Fried and swinging a trade for Bellinger.
Plus, New York may want to add another big piece at one of its corner infield spots.
Thomas is set to hit free agency after next season, so the Yanks would have no financial obligation to him beyond 2025. Plus, he is slated to earn just $7.9 million next year.
The 29-year-old slashed .237/.309/.400 with 15 home runs and 63 RBI over 528 plate appearances between the Washington Nationals and the Guardians in 2024, but he came on particularly strong late in the season and in the playoffs.
Landing Thomas would also allow the Yankees the flexibility to play Bellinger at first base on occasion.
Editor’s Note: This story contains previous video from 19 News.
TUSCARAWAS COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) – The Ohio State Highway Patrol says troopers have identified the driver of a semi-truck suspected in a deadly hit-skip in Tuscarawas County.
The driver is a 59-year-old Cleveland man whose name was not released. The highway patrol said the case is now with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the highway patrol, on Oct. 24 a semi-truck was driving north on IR-77 when he tried to make a U-turn through the median crossover near Strasburg.
Troopers said a second vehicle, driven by 78-year-old Dennis Alsept, was also driving north in the left lane of IR-77.
RELATED STORY: Troopers looking for semi driver suspect in fatal hit-skip of Tuscarawas County 78-year-old
Alsept then hit the semi, according to the highway patrol.
“He was a great man, he loved his family,” Alsept’s son-in-law, Andy Donaldson, said. “His family was his everything.”
Troopers said that the semi pulled onto the beam in the median and then continued going south on IR-77.
According to the highway patrol, Alsept was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
On Oct. 31, he died from those injuries.
“Accidents happen, however, he made a tragic mistake that day,” Donaldson said.
The crash remains under investigation, and the highway patrol said charges against the driver are forthcoming.
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland Police is investigating a shooting that occurred on the city’s west side Thursday morning.
Cleveland Police told 19 News that a man was shot near West 110th Street and Bernard Avenue.
The man, police said he approximately 38-years-old, was transported to the hospital.
Cleveland Police are investigating this incident and will deliver updates as they become available.
This is a developing story. Be sure to check back with 19 News for updates.
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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