FYI - Streetlight outages should be reported to the power company. I think in Cleveland it is First Energy. The city is only going to call the power company anyway. Here is a link to report streetlight outages:

 

https://www.firstenergycorp.com/forms/streetlight/reportStreetLightProbInit.do

 

If its a streetlight in Cleveland proper, it's Cleveland Public Power.

Thanks for the correction M2O.

 

http://www.cpp.org/cppcustcarereport.htm

 

 

Thanks for the correction M2O.

 

http://www.cpp.org/cppcustcarereport.htm

 

did you get that from google or from their website?  i googled it a while ago and was using it to submit outages, until i got an email saying that the form wasn't used anymore and that my emails were apparently just going to someone's email inbox who wasn't really motivated to forward them on to the repair people. 

 

i don't think you can get to the form from the website.  i also always call their outage hotline number and leave a message - 216.621.5483 (which they also seem to have removed from their website)  don't expect to hear back from them though, even when leaving a name or email address. there are some serious customer service issues at CPP.  i think the lesson learned, is that CPP doesn't want to hear about issues with streetlights.  I usually just start calling and emailing the Mayor's Action Committee.

 

but, for traffic lights that are out, i believe the correct number to call is the non emergency police number. 

 

 

From the website. Products & Services > Outdoor Lighting (right side under residentail) > Report street light out (on left).

I've been complaining to CPP for about a year regarding the street lights on Prospect and I have seen no progress. I recently spoke with someone at the Historic Gateway Neighborhood (I can't remember his name) and he said he is doing everything he can and is getting extremely frustrated. Basically CPP just ingores all customer complaints.

It seems to me I recall hearing that some streets lights are CPP and some are first energy (or some other contracted company)! I think the street lamps  have markings to say which. I have contacted the council persons office on one occasion and the neighborhood association in another case. They may have some regular relationship with the lighting co's.  I did this in cases where it was not aesthetics but a real safety issue (public square was pitch black in one case, and all of Superior in another case).

Just posting a kudos for the CPD for doing their job - someone jumped the curb and ended up in our front lawn this morning (took out a shrub, otherwise no serious damage or injuries); placed a call, a lady (last name Foster) took the call (courteous and never put me on hold); squad car arrived about 10-15 minutes later. Having heard horror stories about the cops not responding and the dispatchers being difficult, I thought I'd post this example of them doing a good job.

Good to hear MayDay.

 

Glad nobody was injured and I hope the garden can be repaired and improved.

Oh no, this wasn't the garden - just a big shrub and a few small posts. One never puts the good stuff out front ;-)

Oh ok.  Good to hear.  I wasn't sure if your garden was in both the front and back.

Honey, if they had touched the garden (back), I would have gutted them like a fish :evil:

Stealing for a living: Police say they've stopped two one-man crime waves

The Plain Dealer

Posted by Mark Puente August 23, 2007 07:08AM

 

For years, Donald Hein and Gail Hill watched as you got out your car at popular stores and restaurants on the West Side. You thought you were being smart putting your laptop computer in your trunk, but that was a cue for Hein to pounce, police said.

 

You parked at the RTA lot and rode the rapid to work, but Hill targeted cars there to strip them of catalytic converters, airbags and other accessories, police said.

 

...

 

www.cleveland.com

Good start...they've taken down some larger crime rings lately (that gang/drug ring on the East side earlier this summer).  Who knows what the net impact will be, but glad to see strides are being made.

Friedman is in dire need of de-election.  Ohio needs tougher repeat-offenders law, and the laws governing defending one's property need to be liberalized.  Scum like this target cars because homeowners sometimes have a habit of being armed.

He's not the only one. And the revolving door at the county jail is a big reason why lesser crimes like these are way too common. They're common because the same guys (like the ones in this article) keep committing them.

 

The train stations are safe and riders should not be worried, said Joyce, the chief.[mto: this is kind of trite but we want to give Joyce the plug because he gave us the scoop: ]

 

What the hell was this?? That's got to be a note from the reporter to his editor that wasn't removed during editing.

My tax dollars at use! This idiot should be fired. I hope this is a lesson to other criminal within the CPD.

 

To those who are doing a good job and the right thing. Hats off!

---

Cleveland officer arrested for cocaine trafficking

Posted by cseper August 26, 2007 13:10PM

 

 

Cleveland police have arrested one of their own for cocaine trafficking.

The Cleveland Police Department's Internal Affairs Unit, working with the FBI, on Saturday night arrested Second District Patrolman Zvonko Sarlog when he finished his shift.

 

...

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/08/do_not_publish_yet_police_fbi.html

Wow, just like an episode of The Shield!

Tremonter.com has some interesting discussions on some pretty brazen crimes taking place there lately.  The discussions are reading as if the city is purposefully keeping these reports quiet for a magnitude of reasons (according to these bloggers).

 

I haven't lived in Tremont since i moved to Old Brooklyn last year - but enjoyed my time there greatly.  For those of you that live there, is there a lot of talk going on about an uptick in violent crime?

I'm not sure if the discussions are interesting - potentially libelous, absolutely. The problem is that with Tremonter - the intentions are good but there's very little moderation, and anyone can make anonymous comments. I noticed how the people complaining tend to have a serious bias against TWDC and Cimperman - I'm not suggesting either are perfect, but I question what the complainers have done to help and of course, what their ulterior motives are.

 

As far as an uptick of serious crimes - I've only heard of a few incidents around Thurman, and the connection is that they happened around 2:30am.

Well I'm not surprised to see these robberies in Tremont are being brought to the forefront again, after I mentioned the first robbery last week where I heard gunshots and a woman screaming very close to my house.  Apparently, there was a second robbery which occurred over the weekend. The police should be saturating this area during the night, running undercover operations, including plain clothes officers on foot, but they do absolutely nothing (at least not that I am aware of). I never ever see them at night on the weekdays or after the bars close on the weekends. There are only a few bad applies that live in the Thurman Jefferson area (who I wouldn't doubt are collaborating with W 28th projects as suggested on the tremonter), and they can't control that? What happens when the residents of Valley View move in and these criminals start collaborating with those residents (teenagers moving in) in committing crimes? Its such an easy problem to solve, yet there is no action. It is such a small small area with respect to all the good parts of Tremont. What is further disturbing was that robberies happened in the same spot in two consecutive weekends. I was not around this past weekend during the robbery which happened the night of the 25th, which apparently was more serious than the weekend before.

Why would you think these people on tremonter have alterior motives? One of them was a victim of a robbery for crying out loud! What does anonymous posting have to do with it? Do you think someone is coming on the message board and making stuff up? I have lived in many many different urban areas, some of which were downright scary, but the level of inactivity by city council and the police is downright disgusting. At least where I lived previously in the one neighborhood in another city, the police were always blaring by, making arrests, chasing people on foot, etc, etc. Coincidentally, crime in that district since i moved from there in 2003 has plunged by 50%...

Also posted on the tremonter...all the new real estate on cityview drive and on the lower end of w 6th is a looming disaster. I have been tracking every one of those properties (many of which are in the 300-400K range) and not one of them has sold in the last 5 months, which was prime buying time. have any even sold since they were put on the market? No doubt developers are panicing as they will have to take serious losses on these new developments. And what happens when Valley view opens? The residents moving in have to have criminal background checks, but often enough teenagers committing crimes don't have criminal backgrounds as of yet. As their teenagers age another year or two, crime will increase. I understand that the vast majority of these people are good hardworking people, but it only takes 3, 4, or 5 bad apples to turn a small area like tremont into yet another ghosttown.

 

I don't discount that someone was the victim of a crime - I never have, never will, and my heart goes out to them. I donated to the fund of the family on West 12th who were displaced by arson so step down from the pulpit. I'm not suggesting that people are posting at tremonter.com to post false information. However, you're kidding yourself if you think that there aren't people trolling an unregulated messageboard who have some personal beef to pick with their councilperson, CDC or what have you.

 

What I'm saying is that you have a completely open board with little moderation, and people - whatever their state or agenda - are free to post anything about anything. The problem with that is that (obviously) some people take anything they see on a board like tremonter.com and think it's gospel. Is there a problem in the vicinity of Thurman? Obviously there is, and it needs attention and no one here has suggested otherwise. Is Tremont the death-spiralling-hellhole you describe? If you really think it's that bad, and your financial status (btw, dropping your income like that is kinda gauche) allows you the opportunity to move - why don't you? I'm not saying "if you don't like it, leave". I'm saying "you obviously don't like it; if I felt the same way you do, I'd leave too."

Yes, that is tacky I put my income on the messageboard. I usually type what first comes to my mind without going back and editing some.

 

There is more than just me in my household, so my income isn't really out of the ordinary.

You say this,

The police and city council are very well aware of what is going on here, so they dont' need me to tell them.

but then you say things like this,

The police should be saturating this area during the night, running undercover operations, including plain clothes officers on foot, but they do absolutely nothing (at least not that I am aware of). I never ever see them at night on the weekdays or after the bars close on the weekends.

this,

At least where I lived previously in the one neighborhood, the police were always blaring by, making arrests, chasing people on foot, etc, etc. Coincidentally, crime in that district since i moved from there in 2003 has plunged by 50%...

and this,

There are only a few bad applies that live in the Thurman Jefferson area (who I wouldn't doubt are collaborating with W 28th projects as suggested on the tremonter), and they can't control that?  Its such an easy problem to solve, yet there is no action.

 

It seems to me that the police and city council actually do need you to tell them what's happening in Tremont and for you to give them those excellent, simple suggestions and tipoffs for reducing street crime in the neighborhood.  It's like my grandma used to say:  the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so help direct police to the problem spots!

 

[Tremont is] one of Cleveland's few half decent neighborhoods.

 

:roll:

 

Way to go Confiterordeo!  Thats what I'm talking about!  :clap:

I would tend to agree with both sides here.  My initial concern is that if people (residents, visitors, etc. NOT drug dealers or buyers) are being shot while being robbed (or even shot at) and this is not being reported, there is some reason.

 

Even in last weeks West Side Sun, the police blotter mentioned the incident, but no mention of a gun - just that someone may have had "internal injuries".  If these types of crimes are happening two weekends in a row (as some are saying) and not being reported accurately in the media (or at all) - i think it may put the residents and visitors to that area at undue risk. 

 

I'm not one for the over-dramatized news coverage like Ch. 19 - but as some are suggesting, not reporting on the crime to help the real estate developers/businesses, etc.  then that is BS.

Even in last weeks West Side Sun, the police blotter mentioned the incident, but no mention of a gun - just that someone may have had "internal injuries".  If these types of crimes are happening two weekends in a row (as some are saying) and not being reported accurately in the media (or at all) - i think it may put the residents and visitors to that area at undue risk.

 

That's exactly why it's so important to make calls to the city government and police higher-ups, or possibly even hold a neighborhood meeting/rally.  The first line of defense is an aware community that communicates its needs and problems to the people who are best equipped to handle them.

One doesn't get "internal injuries" from a gunshot. 

One doesn't get "internal injuries" from a gunshot. 

I beg to differ...of course I am sure there is a surface wound too!

lol- fair enough!

No one should be drinking to intoxication and driving, but that said there s a DUI check point in Ohio City (franklin and 25th ) tonight. Be safe and sensible!

Even in last weeks West Side Sun, the police blotter mentioned the incident, but no mention of a gun - just that someone may have had "internal injuries". If these types of crimes are happening two weekends in a row (as some are saying) and not being reported accurately in the media (or at all) - i think it may put the residents and visitors to that area at undue risk.

 

I report all the information that's available in police brevity reports, which is what we get from the CPD. Often the information is sorely lacking, either because the police report to which the brevity report is referring isn't finished (sometimes it takes days, weeks, months and sometimes even years for a full report to be finished), or because the person compiling the brevity report has too much to do, or because they may not feel like it.

 

Sometimes the brevity reports are very helpful, including the descriptions of suspects and even their names, what actually transpired and who was victimized. But often they leave out anything about the suspect, or anything about the victim, or you have to try to translate what took place by reading this typical entry in the brevity report:

______________________

 

17:43 08-13-07 OTHER TYPE NOT LISTED

VSDL

123 Main St

ARRESTED: John Smith W-M 23

123 Main Street

 

1997 BLACK CADILLAC WITH DENTED HOOD

IMPOUNDED:

2002 Chevy Corsica

SEIZED:

9mm semi-auto

EVIDENCE:

Photocopy of drug buy money

STOLEN:

Inventory incomplete

 

 

So what does this mean? It means:

"John Smith, 23, of 123 Main Street was arrested at 5:43 p.m. Aug. 13 at his home after an undercover officer made a drug buy. Smith was charged with drug trafficking and will be bound over to a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury on the felony charge. Police also impounded his 2002 Chevy Corsica and recovered a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. While searching his home, police apparently found some stolen goods which are in the process of being inventoried."

 

So what about the "OTHER TYPE NOT LISTED" title at the top? Or "1997 BLACK CADILLAC WITH DENTED HOOD"? Those usually don't mean anything, and are often transposed from other brevity reports where a car or a theft was involved in an incident or arrest. And if you aren't sure what something means in a brevity report, you leave it out when typing it up for the newspaper's police blotter. You don't have time to call to get more information about every unknown item in each incident in the brevity report. There are usually 50 pages per week per police district of incident listings, with 5-7 incidents per page. And most, if not all, look like the listing above. If there is a major incident such as a huge drug bust (like the one a couple weeks ago when $500,000 worth of heroin and $29,000 cash was recovered), then I will call Lt. Tom Stacho or someone else in his office to get more information.

 

Otherwise, all I can tell you is what's in the brevity report.

 

I get copies of the brevity reports for ohio city (from OCNW).  what hits the media is only a fraction of what is reported. So to those who quesion person, it IS true that people get can get shot and stabbed etc without it making the PD/channel 19 action news.

Was CitiStat ever implemented? My understanding is that it's an electronic database tracking tool for crime and that at some point CPD was planning to use it. I ask because my layman's understanding of the Sunshine Laws state that they would be obligated to provide non-confidential information in electronic form if so, which I think would be a lot easier to work withand perhaps more accurate.

In incidents where a shooting or stabbing occurred, the brevity report will look something like this:

 

20:30 08-30-07 FELONIOUS ASSAULT

FelAssault

2043 Detroit Ave

SUSPECT: N/A

 

REPORTED BY: Janet Smith B/F 60 H: 5'10" W: 185#

2050 Detroit Ave

 

VICTIM: George Jetson W/M 25

1234 Clague Road

 

INJURIES:

OtherMajInj

 

EVIDENCE:

Bloody shirt

 

It doesn't say what major injuries, often doesn't say what the weapon was, or whose bloody shirt it was. And the location at the top of the brevity report doesn't always mean that's where the incident occurred. It's sometimes where the person who reported the incident lives. While the CPD will often list the age/race/height/weight of the person reporting the incident, they don't list it for the suspect even if a witness may have provided a good description to police. But the police didn't include the suspect's information in the brevity report even though it might be helpful to them to get a description of the suspect out to the public via the media. Who cares what the reporting person's age/race/height/weight is? We never report anything about the reporting person. At least I don't.

 

I realize the police have a lot on their plate, and they don't have time to get creative with brevity reports. But when they hit "print" on their computers, they can select which data entries to print for the brevities. I want to help them get the best information out to the public so they can get better tips in return.

 

Please tell me as much as you can about the suspect(s), unless it will compromise this or other investigations. You don't need to tell me who reported the crime, but I do need to know a little bit about the victim (age, sex, and what Cleveland neighborhood or other city/village he/she lives in) and how the victim was hurt by the suspect(s). Was it financial? (to what extent by dollar value/estimate). Was it physical? (police already do a good enough job explaining this -- I don't need to know gory details though some in the media apparently do. Screw 'em). But it would be helpful to know what weapon was used so that if someone spots the suspect, they'll know how much distance to keep from the suspect when reporting him/her. And, of course, please tell us the when/where the crime occurred or when/where the arrest occurred.

 

Thank you First District and Second District officers for serving our city.

Was George's wife Jane OK?

 

I do agree it doesn't make sense to name, let alone describe, the reporting party for violent crimes....especially with the perpetrator at large.

Was George's wife Jane OK?

 

 

CPD homicide detectives found out that Rosie the Robot was jealous of Jane and made him history.

 

Was CitiStat ever implemented? My understanding is that it's an electronic database tracking tool for crime and that at some point CPD was planning to use it. I ask because my layman's understanding of the Sunshine Laws state that they would be obligated to provide non-confidential information in electronic form if so, which I think would be a lot easier to work withand perhaps more accurate.

 

You know, that's a really good question.  The City actually had full-time staff people developing it and designated immense resources towards it implementation.

 

I will ask a few people and report back.

Thanks. Let them know I'd be happy to help with the software development at a fair-market rate, too. :wink:

pd:

 

Boy, 17, shot to death in Cleveland after chase

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Brie Zeltner and Patrick O'Donnell

Plain Dealer Reporters

 

For the second time in a week, gunshots rang out in a Cleveland neighborhood and killed a youth.

 

Police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy who was shot Friday night on the city's East Side, according to police and the coroner's office.

 

...

 

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1189242735161160.xml&coll=2

From: THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

Andrea Taylor, Press Secretary (216) 664-4171 or (216) 857-7798

Michelle Watts, Asst. to the Chief of Communications (216) 664-3999 or (216) 857-0124

For Immediate Release:September 10, 2007

 

Mayor Frank Jackson Takes the Lead in the Fight to Curb Gun Violence in Cleveland and Throughout the State of Ohio

 

Today Mayor Frank G. Jackson announced his plan to help curb gun violence in Cleveland and across the state of Ohio.

 

Mayor Jackson is asking the Ohio General Assembly to help get guns out of the hands of young people by passing legislation that would prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from possessing a firearm ...

 

... More at http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/pdf/press/20070910293.pdf

I doubt this will help much.  The people who need to have their guns taken away from them are already violating gun laws, probably.  There isn't exactly a rash of youths walking down the street openly brandishing their weapons while frustrated, helpless police are forced to stand idly by.

Was CitiStat ever implemented? My understanding is that it's an electronic database tracking tool for crime and that at some point CPD was planning to use it. I ask because my layman's understanding of the Sunshine Laws state that they would be obligated to provide non-confidential information in electronic form if so, which I think would be a lot easier to work withand perhaps more accurate.

 

You know, that's a really good question.  The City actually had full-time staff people developing it and designated immense resources towards it implementation.

 

I will ask a few people and report back.

 

I spoke with a few people and the general impression is that Citistat was scrapped by the new administration or rebranded under a different name.  My contacts seemed to believe that the former is true.

Bah. Much appreciate the inquiry though, thank you.

I doubt this will help much.  The people who need to have their guns taken away from them are already violating gun laws, probably.  There isn't exactly a rash of youths walking down the street openly brandishing their weapons while frustrated, helpless police are forced to stand idly by.

 

Bingeaux.  Also, there's something inherently stupid about someone being old enough to use automatic weapons to guard nuclear weapons, but not old enough to have a handgun.  (or, for that matter, drink a beer).....

^ lol so true. as x said people that run around with guns don't care about the law. I think charging juveniles with handguns as adults would have more impact

From USA Today:

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Cocaine flow to 26 cities curbed

By Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY

...

 

Police and local officials in some cities, such as Cleveland and Nashville, say they have noticed a cocaine decrease in their neighborhoods as well.

 

...

 

In Cleveland, police noted a contraction in drug markets in January. Homicides are up as local drug organizations vie for the shrinking cocaine supply, says Mayor Frank Jackson, who lauds a six-city, federally led task force for cracking down on local traffickers.

 

"It does create more violence, but that's a short-term thing," Jackson says. "That's the natural outcome of 20 years of crack cocaine and 30 years of powder."

 

He says neighborhoods will be able to rebuild if decreases in availability continue. "Now we have an opportunity, if we continue this interdiction, to put in some economic development, some treatment, some prevention, that will turn things around," Jackson says. "Interdiction isn't the cure-all. The police cannot solve this problem. It's one leg on the stool."

 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-12-cocaine_N.htm

 

 

..Also, there's something inherently stupid about someone being old enough to use automatic weapons to guard nuclear weapons, but not old enough to have a handgun.  (or, for that matter, drink a beer).....

 

In theory, yes.  But it only really applies if all 18-20 year olds are taught the same discipline and responsibility that those who are guarding nuclear weapons with automatic rifles are taught.

 

Somehow, I'm not as worried about a 19 year old Marine carrying a weapon as I am some random 19 year old on the street.

Exactly, they don't give a gun to any old kid who shows up and tell them, "hey, go over there and guard those nuclear weapons".

Near my house. Freakin' News Net 5 helicopter was circling my neighborhood since 5:00 am.

Guess what time they left. As I pulled out of the driveway to go to work.

ERRGGHH

 

 

cleveland.com:

 

Pedestrian hit and killed in Cleveland; suspect arrested

Posted by Donna J. Miller September 14, 2007 06:42AM

Categories: Crime

 

A man in his 40s was struck by a car about 3 this morning in the 10800 block of Joan Avenue, at Lorain Avenue, on Cleveland's West Side. The victim was crossing the street.

 

The driver of a maroon Chevrolet fled, then crashed into a fence and a garage in the 3200 block of West Boulevard, where police arrested him, spokeswoman Nancy Dominik said.

 

The victim's name will be released once his family is notified.

Link to Article

 

Cleveland police union leader pushes tax hike to add officers

Increasing income tax could mean hiring 300

Friday, September 14, 2007

Susan Vinella

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

The head of Cleveland's police union proposes increasing the city's income tax from 2 percent to 2.25 percent to add about 300 more officers to the force.

 

Stephen Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said Thursday that the increase could raise $31.5 million a year.

 

In a meeting with Plain Dealer editors and reporters, Loomis said it would cost $22 million to pay the salary and benefits of the additional officers to raise the total number of police in Cleveland from about 1,575 now to 1,850.

 

...

 

[email protected], 216-999-5010

 

I'd gladly pay it if it was guaranteed to go to safety services.