Cleveland Police Chief Steps Down after 7 Years

CLEVELAND, OH—Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams announced Thursday that he is stepping down from his role as the city’s top officer after seven years.

Williams’ announcement, which he made during a police awards ceremony, came just two days after Cleveland voters elected Justin Bibb as the city’s next mayor. Bibb has said he would not retain Williams as chief.

Voters on Tuesday also passed a charter amendment that will increase civilian oversight of the police department, including in many areas that were previously under the chief’s purview.

Williams choked back tears as he discussed his decision to step down. He said he decided to leave the police department when Mayor Frank Jackson announced he would not run for re-election after an unprecedented 16 years at the helm of the city.

“I’m going to miss you guys,” Williams told the room full of officers. “You do a great job. You do a great job day in and day out.”

He said during his speech that the awards ceremony is his “last official act.”

Williams, who grew up in Cleveland, was hired as a police officer in 1986 and became chief in 2014. He officially retired, and was immediately rehired, in 2018. The retirement meant Williams could start drawing his from pension, along with making his $125,000-per year salary.

Williams, during his brief speech, listed what he said were highlights of his tenure as chief. He singled out the parade after the Cleveland Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Finals, which was followed one month later by a Republican National Convention that featured daily protests.

“This division did what it does best,” Williams said. “We took on the charge and we took care of business.”

Williams stayed mostly behind the scenes during his tenure. He gave few interviews— almost always to national news outlets— and spoke in as few words as possible during public appearances.

His tenure also featured tragedy, both for himself and for the police department. Williams’ brother was fatally shot in Cleveland in 2015. He later spoke at funerals for three officers who died on duty during his tenure — David Fahey in 2017, Vu Nguyen in 2018 and James Skernivitz in 2020.

Williams took over the department at a tumultuous time. He replaced the often-criticized former chief, Michael McGrath, who Jackson promoted to safety director after the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the police department’s use of force.

Local officials requested the investigation after the notorious 2012 police chase and shooting that ended in the deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. Officers chased the unarmed couple across the city before firing 137 shots into their car.

The police department came under even more scrutiny during Williams’ first year at the helm. The deaths of Tanisha Anderson, who died in police custody during a mental-health crisis, and Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy who was shot to death by a Cleveland police officer, touched off protests here and nationwide.

Their deaths hastened the Justice Department’s investigation, which released its finding in December 2014. The investigation showed Cleveland officers exhibited a pattern of using excessive force and mistreated people with mental illness. It also showed the department failed to properly investigate and punish its own officers for misconduct, among other findings.

Williams has been Cleveland’s only police chief since that report led to the federal court-monitored agreement with the Justice Department to reform the department. He sometimes spoke in favor of the consent decree and what he viewed as progress the department has made in recent years, including a decrease in deadly use-of-force incidents.

Six years into the consent decree, however, many critics feel it hasn’t gone far enough to repair the mistrust between Cleveland’s police officers and members of the community. They also question the department’s ability to hold officers accountable for wrongdoing.

The consent decree monitor’s semiannual report, filed with the court on Monday, said issues remain, including investigations into officer misconduct. The report also said the monitoring team is conducting a review of Williams’ decisions on discipline. The chief only handles disciplinary cases that could end in less than 10 days; the city’s safety director is tasked with disciplining officers in more serious cases.

On Tuesday, voters approved Issue 24, which will give the Community Police Commission, a group of 13 residents, final say on police discipline. The commission will also have a hand in setting police policies, setting training for officers, auditing investigative processes and recommending officers for promotion. Those tasks had typically been handled by the chief.

A turbulent tenure as police chief

Williams has been at the helm of the police department during several large protests, including following Tamir’s death. He often showed up in person when interactions between protestors and police became heated.

Another notable protest occurred in 2015, following the acquittal of Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo in the deaths of Russell and Williams. Officers corralled a large group of protestors in the Warehouse District and made mass arrests, including of a cleveland.com editor covering the protests. The city paid a $50,000 settlement to five protestors who said they were peacefully protesting when they were arrested.

When the Cavs won the 2016 NBA Championship, more than a million revelers descended on downtown Cleveland for the parade. A 13-year-old was shot near Tower City after the parade ended.

The following month, Williams was widely praised for his handling of the 2016 RNC in Cleveland, when hundreds of police officers and federal agents came to the city to provide enhanced security.

Williams often rode a bike around the downtown area during the RNC. He diffused several contentious protests, including when someone punched conspiracy-theorist Alex Jones during a speech in Public Square.

However, a judge later found officers unlawfully arrested several people during a flag-burning protest outside the RNC. Charges were dropped against 16 people arrested during the demonstration, and the city paid out a $225,000 settlement to flag-burner Joey Johnson and a $50,000 settlement to another man arrested at the protest.

Four years later, during protests over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd that sparked nationwide demonstrations, Williams and the police department were criticized. The department was seen as being unprepared for the magnitude of the demonstrations, despite warnings signs. Officers were also criticized for using excessive force against protestors.

A report by the consent decree monitor found the supervisors who were on duty during that protest did not give a proper dispersal order to the crowd that gathered outside the Justice Center. The supervisors also failed to give protestors enough time to leave before officers started firing less-lethal munitions into the crowd and using other force on protestors, the report found.

Protestors then left the Justice Center and went into the downtown area, where dozens of windows were shattered and some businesses were looted.

Jackson declared a state of emergency that night. He asked for help from the National Guard, imposed a curfew and shut down access to downtown for six days.

Williams, along with Jackson, during the last two years took the majority of criticism for failing to stem an explosion of violent crime in Cleveland. The city had 192 homicides in 2020, the most since 1982.

Cities across the country and in Cleveland’s suburbs also experienced a spike in violence, which some experts have attributed to stressors related to the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Monday, there have been 152 homicides this year in Cleveland, compared to 157 as of Nov. 4, 2020. Shootings, however, are up 13% this year compared to last year as of Oct. 31, according to Cleveland police statistics.

Among the victims of gun violence this year is Jackson’s grandson, Frank Q. Jackson.

Williams was also criticized for his slow response to two reports by outside experts that showed Cleveland’s homicide unit was woefully understaffed. In 2017, the number of homicide detectives dwindled to 12, despite recommendations the staffing levels should be closer to 35. The department currently has 24 homicide detectives.