Hahah funny story and video. He should have called the cops though. Teach the kid another lesson out of it. ha!

 

Yes should have called the cops.  He's only going to grow up to be a bigger thief, he needs every sentence handed to him now.  Mayfield and Lee, well populated maybe, but gotten a bit rough around the edges. 

Hahah funny story and video. He should have called the cops though. Teach the kid another lesson out of it. ha!

 

Yes should have called the cops.  He's only going to grow up to be a bigger thief, he needs every sentence handed to him now.  Mayfield and Lee, well populated maybe, but gotten a bit rough around the edges. 

Really?  Rockeffeler building is there. some office, some older architectural buildings, the Recreation pavilion and Cumberland park and it has nice housing stock in all directions.  Wow.

I don't think that is what he meant by "rough"

I don't think that is what he meant by "rough"

Well how would he know living in DC?

By looking at the demographics in a census report, of course........

 

To be fair, it is not far from what is AND ALWAYS WAS the roughest part of CH...... the Jets, Superior Triangle, whatever you want to call it.  In other words, it always was a bit rough around at least one edge.  The rest of the surrounding area is just fine...... which is subjective, but let's just say it's not any worse (and in many ways better) than it has been in my approx. 30 years living close by

You can see a clear difference is house maintenance in my opinion once you cross over coventry road.

Do you mean once you cross over Mayfield (heading north) at Coventry?  The housing between Mayfield/Coventry/Superior (NW of May-Lee) is definitely lacking in the maintenance dept.  That was the area I was talking about above.  Otherwise, I have no idea what you are basing that "clear difference" on.  The houses in the Cumberland neighborhood (SW of May-Lee) are fairly impeccable.  Same goes for Forest Hills (NE of May-Lee).  The quadrant SE of the intersection is fairly bland, but you wouldn't notice any of those houses going east on Mayfield because they are behind Park Synagogue, St. Constantines, etc.

Do you mean once you cross over Mayfield (heading north) at Coventry?  The housing between Mayfield/Coventry/Superior (NW of May-Lee) is definitely lacking in the maintenance dept.  That was the area I was talking about above.  Otherwise, I have no idea what you are basing that "clear difference" on.  The houses in the Cumberland neighborhood (SW of May-Lee) are fairly impeccable.  Same goes for Forest Hills (NE of May-Lee).  The quadrant SE of the intersection is fairly bland, but you wouldn't notice any of those houses going east on Mayfield because they are behind Park Synagogue, St. Constantines, etc.

 

Sorry I left out the end. I meant to say on Cedar Road. Atleast last time I drove down Cedar there was a noticeable difference in my opinion of west of coventry rd to east of it.

That's because, as you crossed Coventry at Cedar, you were leaving a fairly upper-class neighborhood and heading into a fairly middle-class neighborhood.

Hahah funny story and video. He should have called the cops though. Teach the kid another lesson out of it. ha!

 

Yes should have called the cops.  He's only going to grow up to be a bigger thief, he needs every sentence handed to him now.  Mayfield and Lee, well populated maybe, but gotten a bit rough around the edges. 

Really?  Rockeffeler building is there. some office, some older architectural buildings, the Recreation pavilion and Cumberland park and it has nice housing stock in all directions.  Wow.

 

I meant rough in every sense.  Maintenance and people, charcteristic of an area where the housing has lost too much value and too much has become rental etc...

 

MTS when is the last time you were at that intersection even where the Rockefeller building is (take a good look next time).  Last month I walked around this area, and everything looks quite run down. 

 

The beautiful Rockefeller Building is kindof a mess, along with the majority of buildings in that area (Park Synagog, apartment buildings, houses).  And then you have the little punks like HTS121 has mentioned that have reaked havok on the area.

 

As I mentioned in HTS121 wonderful photo thread of this area, this is one of my favorite urban areas architecturally, and hope it doesnt go down any further, since that would be a real shame.       

 

And then you have the little punks like HTS121

 

 

When I was reading that sentence I was thinking you were saying this at first before continuing on. Haha!

Do you mean once you cross over Mayfield (heading north) at Coventry?  The housing between Mayfield/Coventry/Superior (NW of May-Lee) is definitely lacking in the maintenance dept.  That was the area I was talking about above.  Otherwise, I have no idea what you are basing that "clear difference" on.  The houses in the Cumberland neighborhood (SW of May-Lee) are fairly impeccable.  Same goes for Forest Hills (NE of May-Lee).  The quadrant SE of the intersection is fairly bland, but you wouldn't notice any of those houses going east on Mayfield because they are behind Park Synagogue, St. Constantines, etc.

 

I agree.  I just went to a party on Oak Rd (at Lee Rd.) and those homes are really nice.  On the way home we dropped off a person who lived on Cumberland.  That, IMHO, is a stable middle class neighborhood.

 

 

Do you mean once you cross over Mayfield (heading north) at Coventry?  The housing between Mayfield/Coventry/Superior (NW of May-Lee) is definitely lacking in the maintenance dept.  That was the area I was talking about above.  Otherwise, I have no idea what you are basing that "clear difference" on.  The houses in the Cumberland neighborhood (SW of May-Lee) are fairly impeccable.  Same goes for Forest Hills (NE of May-Lee).  The quadrant SE of the intersection is fairly bland, but you wouldn't notice any of those houses going east on Mayfield because they are behind Park Synagogue, St. Constantines, etc.

 

Sorry I left out the end. I meant to say on Cedar Road. Atleast last time I drove down Cedar there was a noticeable difference in my opinion of west of coventry rd to east of it.

 

East of Covent to about Hillcrest, once you pass Superior, the homes going east are single family and a solid middle class (north of Mayfield), upper middle class (forest hills - south of Mayfield).

 

Hahah funny story and video. He should have called the cops though. Teach the kid another lesson out of it. ha!

 

Yes should have called the cops.  He's only going to grow up to be a bigger thief, he needs every sentence handed to him now.  Mayfield and Lee, well populated maybe, but gotten a bit rough around the edges. 

Really?  Rockeffeler building is there. some office, some older architectural buildings, the Recreation pavilion and Cumberland park and it has nice housing stock in all directions.  Wow.

 

I meant rough in every sense.  Maintenance and people, charcteristic of an area where the housing has lost too much value and too much has become rental etc...

 

MTS when is the last time you were at that intersection even where the Rockefeller building is (take a good look next time).  Last month I walked around this area, and everything looks quite run down. 

 

The beautiful Rockefeller Building is kindof a mess, along with the majority of buildings in that area (Park Synagog, apartment buildings, houses).  And then you have the little punks like HTS121 has mentioned that have reaked havok on the area.

 

As I mentioned in HTS121 wonderful photo thread of this area, this is one of my favorite urban areas architecturally, and hope it doesnt go down any further, since that would be a real shame.       

 

I do travel outside of Shaker Square!  :P :P :P    See above.  Park synagogue is beautiful.  The only thing I dislike is that gigantic parking lot they own on Mayfiled road itself.  What apartment buildings are bad?  The only apartment build is the one on Bolton.  then the condos by UHaul.  Most of the houses south of Mayfield are single family.

 

Honestly, we must have different definitions of the word "rough".

There are a lot of very interesting things going on in that neighborhood.  I have to sort of agree with willyboy, though, in that a lot of the architectural gems there have become rough around the edges and there is a definitely a seedy element that tends to be attracted to the area.  It's not terrible, but it's slowly deteriorating to the point that I don't think many young, middle-class families would ever look to purchase a home around there. 

There are a lot of very interesting things going on in that neighborhood.  I have to sort of agree with willyboy, though, in that a lot of the architectural gems there have become rough around the edges and there is a definitely a seedy element that tends to be attracted to the area.  It's not terrible, but it's slowly deteriorating to the point that I don't think many young, middle-class families would ever look to purchase a home around there. 

 

The only familes I see there are families with school age children.  From what I understand Boulevard is a good school and it's the only school in the area, since Millikin and Coventry Closed.

 

So I'll ask again, what is your definition of "rough" around the edges?  and who/what is this seedy element attracted to the area.  I'm really trying to understand.

 

From Taylor to Coventry, the homes south of Mayfield are gorgeous.  From Monticello/Mayfield Rd  to Taylor, which is a part of the CH section of Forest Hills, the homes are pretty large and well maintained.

 

Or are you both saying the intersection of Lee & Mayfield is the problem? or is that intersection attracting a potential problem to the area, which could spread into the residential sections?

So I'll ask again, what is your definition of "rough" around the edges?  and who/what is this seedy element attracted to the area.  I'm really trying to understand.

 

From Taylor to Coventry, the homes south of Mayfield are gorgeous.  From Monticello/Mayfield Rd  to Taylor, which is a part of the CH section of Forest Hills, the homes are pretty large and well maintained.

 

Or are you both saying the intersection of Lee & Mayfield is the problem? or is that intersection attracting a potential problem to the area, which could spread into the residential sections?

 

Kids walking around in the streets with their pants around their ankles, loose animals, unkempt homes and lawns, etc.  Behavior like that that many normal, middle-class families find undesirable and would rather not have to deal with, not to mention the perception of higher crime rates in that area.  I suppose that the intersection itself may be a bit of a magnet, but in reality the low home prices have forced many folks who want to sell to instead rent and made it possible for a chunk of this negative element to be able to take over the residential area.  It's basically the beginnings of the same type of urban decay that's reduced entire neighborhoods of Cleveland to mere rubble and now it's gotten its teeth into this part of Cleveland Heights. 

So I'll ask again, what is your definition of "rough" around the edges?  and who/what is this seedy element attracted to the area.  I'm really trying to understand.

 

From Taylor to Coventry, the homes south of Mayfield are gorgeous.  From Monticello/Mayfield Rd  to Taylor, which is a part of the CH section of Forest Hills, the homes are pretty large and well maintained.

 

Or are you both saying the intersection of Lee & Mayfield is the problem? or is that intersection attracting a potential problem to the area, which could spread into the residential sections?

 

Kids walking around in the streets with their pants around their ankles, loose animals, unkempt homes and lawns, etc.  Behavior like that that many normal, middle-class families find undesirable and would rather not have to deal with, not to mention the perception of higher crime rates in that area.  I suppose that the intersection itself may be a bit of a magnet, but in reality the low home prices have forced many folks who want to sell to instead rent and made it possible for a chunk of this negative element to be able to take over the residential area.  It's basically the beginnings of the same type of urban decay that's reduced entire neighborhoods of Cleveland to mere rubble and now it's gotten its teeth into this part of Cleveland Heights. 

 

Thats right....  Thats why its been so painful to see the property values drop to the levels they have.  The former owners or new owners if foreclosers, have for the most part been forced to make them rental.  Nearly always has the same affect on an area.

 

Also nearly always makes it easy to predict which areas will decline.       

So I'll ask again, what is your definition of "rough" around the edges?  and who/what is this seedy element attracted to the area.  I'm really trying to understand.

 

From Taylor to Coventry, the homes south of Mayfield are gorgeous.  From Monticello/Mayfield Rd  to Taylor, which is a part of the CH section of Forest Hills, the homes are pretty large and well maintained.

 

Or are you both saying the intersection of Lee & Mayfield is the problem? or is that intersection attracting a potential problem to the area, which could spread into the residential sections?

 

Kids walking around in the streets with their pants around their ankles, loose animals, unkempt homes and lawns, etc.  Behavior like that that many normal, middle-class families find undesirable and would rather not have to deal with, not to mention the perception of higher crime rates in that area.  I suppose that the intersection itself may be a bit of a magnet, but in reality the low home prices have forced many folks who want to sell to instead rent and made it possible for a chunk of this negative element to be able to take over the residential area.  It's basically the beginnings of the same type of urban decay that's reduced entire neighborhoods of Cleveland to mere rubble and now it's gotten its teeth into this part of Cleveland Heights. 

 

What streets?  What area (listed in my previous post) has this "element" to take over?  I do not live in this area but have friends that do.  I've never seen unkept homes/lawns.  Lose animals, other than skunks, raccoons, woodchucks from the park?  Do you live in this area? 

 

Low home prices?  What the average price of a home in that area over the last decade?  I can't see any home being over 135K.  When my cousins were looking in that area the homes they were looking at were in the 110-125k price range.

 

Again, I don't see a big change in the demographic over the last two decades for this area.

I'm in this area quite frequently and I must be blind.  I'll take another look when I ride my bike through there for the 4th time this week.

 

 

That areas census tract lose almost 18% of its population. Could you possibly be seeing some abandonment?

What are the boundaries of the census tract?  I ask because several of the apartment buildings along Superior have been condemned/foreclosed and are now empty..... same with several of the rental duplexes in that triangle.  That area is sh!t.  No argument there.  But it probably was worse when those buildings were still renting...... so I still don't get the 'decline' argument.  Forest Hills and Cumberland have not suffered from any abandonment.

So I'll ask again, what is your definition of "rough" around the edges?  and who/what is this seedy element attracted to the area.  I'm really trying to understand.

 

From Taylor to Coventry, the homes south of Mayfield are gorgeous.  From Monticello/Mayfield Rd  to Taylor, which is a part of the CH section of Forest Hills, the homes are pretty large and well maintained.

 

Or are you both saying the intersection of Lee & Mayfield is the problem? or is that intersection attracting a potential problem to the area, which could spread into the residential sections?

 

Kids walking around in the streets with their pants around their ankles, loose animals, unkempt homes and lawns, etc.  Behavior like that that many normal, middle-class families find undesirable and would rather not have to deal with, not to mention the perception of higher crime rates in that area.  I suppose that the intersection itself may be a bit of a magnet, but in reality the low home prices have forced many folks who want to sell to instead rent and made it possible for a chunk of this negative element to be able to take over the residential area.  It's basically the beginnings of the same type of urban decay that's reduced entire neighborhoods of Cleveland to mere rubble and now it's gotten its teeth into this part of Cleveland Heights. 

 

What streets?  What area (listed in my previous post) has this "element" to take over?  I do not live in this area but have friends that do.  I've never seen unkept homes/lawns.  Lose animals, other than skunks, raccoons, woodchucks from the park?  Do you live in this area? 

 

Low home prices?  What the average price of a home in that area over the last decade?  I can't see any home being over 135K.  When my cousins were looking in that area the homes they were looking at were in the 110-125k price range.

 

Again, I don't see a big change in the demographic over the last two decades for this area.

 

Whitehorn Road, Altamont Avenue, Superior Park Drive...and streets all around that area.  It's a mixed bag, because there are still definitely some nice and well-kept homes there.  But there is also some deterioration that I can't help but believe will spread.  I don't think there's been a drastic shift in demographics over the past 20 years, but I do think there's been a slow and steady change.  No I don't live in that specific area, but I do live in the district and that's one of the neighborhoods I worry about most.

That areas census tract lose almost 18% of its population. Could you possibly be seeing some abandonment?

 

Of course not, because the forclosure crisis didnt happen and there was no white flight or flight to the outer suburbs for that matter (and there was no zero (or negative) population growth in the region) and none of these things are even documented over and over even on this very site....  In fact everything is exactly the same as it was 20 years ago.... :wtf:   

Seems the usual suspects are in a bit of denial here.  Not sure what that is achieving. 

That areas census tract lose almost 18% of its population. Could you possibly be seeing some abandonment?

 

Possibly.

 

The area I'm talking about is specifically within the borders of Lee-Mayfield-Taylor-Superior. 

^That's one quarter of the area (really about half of one-quarter if you consider how Superior cuts at an angle and the space taken up by Park Synagogue, St. Constantines, etc.) and it never was the best.  Not as bad as the Superior triangle.... not even close, but it was probably always on the lower end of the median in CH.  I certainly cannot remember a time when it was a 'desirable' neighborhood for middle-class families.  Lots of up-down duplexes.  If you haven't noticed, whevever that housing stock is in the metro, it is not "on the up and up".  Look at Lakewood, Collinwood, and other areas.  Immigrant families used to be attracted to up-down duplexes because an extended family would occupy both units (and maybe even another on the 3rd floor).  That's not such a popular move anymore. 

 

^^Seems the usual suspects are wearing their veils thinly as usual..... 

^That's one quarter of the area (really about half of one-quarter if you consider how Superior cuts at an angle and the space taken up by Park Synagogue, St. Constantines, etc.) and it never was the best.  Not as bad as the Superior triangle.... not even close, but it was probably always on the lower end of the median in CH.  I certainly cannot remember a time when it was a 'desirable' neighborhood for middle-class families.  Lots of up-down duplexes.  If you haven't noticed, whevever that housing stock is in the metro, it is not "on the up and up".  Look at Lakewood, Collinwood, and other areas.  Immigrant families used to be attracted to up-down duplexes because an extended family would occupy both units (and maybe even another on the 3rd floor).  That's not such a popular move anymore. 

 

In regards to the Superior Triangle as you call it, that area is bad, real bad, and I have little hope for it in the near future unless some significant policy changes are made in local and Federal government.

 

On the contrary, while the area I mentioned above isn't in the best of shape, I still have some hope for it because the housing stock and location is decent.  It's just got some serious issues facing it and still could get much worse IMO.

What are the boundaries of the census tract?  I ask because several of the apartment buildings along Superior have been condemned/foreclosed and are now empty..... same with several of the rental duplexes in that triangle.  That area is sh!t.  No argument there.  But it probably was worse when those buildings were still renting...... so I still don't get the 'decline' argument.  Forest Hills and Cumberland have not suffered from any abandonment.

 

Mayfield, Lee, South Taylor, and Hyde Park Avenue. Might not have been the area you were talking about.

Not good:

 

http://clevelandheights.patch.com/articles/eight-arrested-at-shaker-heights-4th-of-july-fireworks-celebration

 

Why is this happening?

Not good:

 

http://clevelandheights.patch.com/articles/eight-arrested-at-shaker-heights-4th-of-july-fireworks-celebration

 

Why is this happening?

 

Yes saw that earlier.  Thats just infuriating.  Can there not be nice communities without this B-Sh#% in NEOhio?

 

Also Clevelander17, I saw where there have been more armed robberies at Coventry and Mayfiled and I think I finally understand your frustration with the Cleveland Heights police and their odd priorities. 

^Thats exactly what it is, bullshit!

 

If I remember correctly, both Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights crime is up over last year.

Also Clevelander17, I saw where there have been more armed robberies at Coventry and Mayfiled and I think I finally understand your frustration with the Cleveland Heights police and their odd priorities. 

 

Do you have the links?  Are you referring to the guy who claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint of two cell-phones, some diamond earings, and cash?  I believe that was a the corner of Lancshire and Coventry a month or two ago.

 

Same request to ClevelandOhio for links to the crime reports for SH and CH.  I'd be interested to see where the spikes (if any) are occuring. 

^ No link, but in print...

 

Cleveland Heights 2010/2011

 

Murder

2/1

 

Rape

1/7

 

Robbery

68/45

 

Assault

75/167

 

Burglary

161/287

 

Larceny

161/705

 

Vehicle Theft

88/24

 

So the the less frequent crimes went down, while assault, burglary, and larceny had large increases. Still, Cleveland Heights compares fairly well with other cities when you look at crime rate.

I was leafing through Cleveland Magazine's "Rating the Suburbs" edition last month and noticed that CH's crime ranking had dropped significantly since the last time I looked at the issue three or four years ago.  Now there are a lot of possible reasons for this (I'm thinking that the police department being called out on its under-reporting could be a big one), but the point is that right now crime does seem to be an issue in CH.  I don't know if it's department priorities, changing demographics, or something else, but between the actual hard data and what I saw firsthand last summer at the Coventry festival, I'm very concerned about CH (and honestly SH, as well). 

 

Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights are, in my opinion, not just gems of Greater Cleveland or even Ohio, but truly unique around the country as far as neighborhoods/suburbs go.  It saddens me to think that they're slowly but surely being overrun by people who simply do not care about their surroundings or how their behavior affects others, to the point that all of the large local gatherings are being disrupted to the point of threatening cancellation.  And even if most of the people at these events causing the problems are from other areas, it's frustrating that the Heights suburbs are acting as a magnet in giving them an outlet for their criminal misbehavior.

 

In regards to the CHPD and a potentially misguided priorities, one potential solution is that if they insist upon setting up these speed traps all over the city (and locals know where most of them are after years of them being in the same places), maybe they should just make a one-time investment in some speed cameras.  Even though I think speed cameras are pretty terrible, at least this would allow for more resources to be freed up in catching real criminals.  However I don't have a solution for the CHPD's parking ticket fetish, though as long as these cops are keeping aware of their surroundings and potential while writing pads of tickets, this foot patrol presence in the bigger business districts probably can serve another purpose. 

^^What's the source of that info?  I can tell you that crime rates rarely fluctuate (both up and down) to that degree from year to year.  The rise in Burglary is not so outrageous as to call it into serious doubt, but the rise in Larceny and the drop in vehicle theft is very hard to believe.  Also, are those numbers limited to convictions, or do they encompass all arrests or maybe even all complaints even if an arrest was not made?

 

^I hear your concerns C17..... but let me try to soften them a bit as far as these two communities being "overrun" by criminals.  How many of the arrests at the Coventry street fair last year were CH residents?  How many of the arrests made at the Shaker fireworks this year were Shaker residents?  It just seems to me that the problem is not so much SH and CH, but their proximity to areas of Cleveland and East Cleveland which (especially in Shaker with the rapid) and the use of social media which causes an influx of non-residents who don't give a crap about the city into the major crowd gathering events.  EDIT (I see that you made that point yourself.... sorry to jump the gun)

 

From these two events, it is apparent that there needs to be some kind of law against kids who recklessly run to go see fights.  It seems at both the fireworks show and the coventry street fair there was more fear created by the rushing mob (school cafeteria mentality) than the fistfights themselves.

 

I do know a few CH cops who would take serious issue with your remarks about their priorities.

Two things:

 

First, these are public events, and I suspect that they (particularly ones like the Coventry festival) are very welcoming to non-residents.  That said, these types of events also seem to be attracting the wrong type of crowd--those seeking to use these events as a venue for their misbehavior.  There has to be a way to discourage or even outright prevent this wrong type of crowd from congregating at these public events.  How to do that fairly?  I have no clue, but that it's something that I think needs to be discussed.

 

Second, the reckless running law sounds good in theory, but I have no idea how it would be enforced when the police officers are oftentimes outnumbered by these out-of-control crowds 10-to-1 or greater.

 

 

 

Also, let me clarify this, I have no idea how much emphasis the CHPD places on parking/traffic tickets in relation to the other functions of the department.  However I do know what it *looks* like to an uninformed outsider, especially when it seems that crime rates are high while an excess resources are being allocated to writing tickets.  There are a lot of variables here, a lot of moving parts that I just don't know enough about or can't accurately predict (not to mention a lack of expertise on the issue) to sit here and criticize the department.  Again, just saying what type of perception I believe the CHPD department gives off, what type of reputation it seems to have in the region.  Perhaps it's something that city council may consider looking into, all things considered. 

CHPD has always placed a great emphasis on 'street presence.'  You can't go a few blocks in CH without seeing a cop.  That pisses people off, but is beneficial in the greater scheme of things.  Just think of the expense the City incurs by allowing their officers to take their cruisers home if they agree to park them on a city street outside their house.  Each cruiser that does that is one less cruiser at the station for the next shift. causing the city to buy more cruisers.  That is just one small example, but goes to show where the emphasis lies.

 

Regarding the idea of limiting attendance at public events, I thought the idea of charging an admission at the Coventry Street Fair was vastly superior to shutting the thing down.  I guarantee that 99% of the troublemakers would never have made the trip into CH had the tweet, facebook post, or whatever drew them there said they had to pay $5 to have their 'fun'.  Obviously, the Shaker fireworks would be more difficult to limit/control admission.  But shutting these events down is only going to cause the problems to spread.  People will just travel further east or west to see them on the 4th.  I can make a personal recommendation though.... I had a great time watching the Shaker fireworks without incident at the U.S. lower campus athletic fields.  Great view from there and the crowd was light and pleasant.

 

I don't think there is much you can do to contain the running mobs..... I was just pointing out that the comments I see on this incident and the one in CH last year makes it seem like that 'effect' of the fight causes more problems and fears than the fight itself..... and, in turn, it causes more fights to occur.

Something I learned while covering the police beat for Sun Newspapers: traffic stops are an important predicate offense that allow cops to check people out. Many criminals are either dumb or have a bad sense of judgment -- it's why they're criminals. So even though a crook may be wanted in four states for various felonies that, if caught, could put him away for three life sentences, he still speeds drunk while texting and without his seatbelt on past the police station at shift change. OK, vastly overblown. But cops and I would always share a laugh about how the guy wanted for burglary got pulled over for speeding. It also amazes me that motorists still flash their headlights at oncoming traffic to warn them about the parked police cruiser they just drove past. I'm sure the wanted serial rapist driving 70 mph in the opposite direction appreciated you tipping him off. People are so nice.

^Back in the 80's, one of my best friend's dad was shot for pulling a guy over for crossing parking lanes at Severance (those old enough might remember the story).  Turns out the guy was wanted in several states.  Point being, you never know what you are going to roll up on when you make a traffic stop.

Not good:

 

http://clevelandheights.patch.com/articles/eight-arrested-at-shaker-heights-4th-of-july-fireworks-celebration

 

Why is this happening?

 

Yes saw that earlier.  Thats just infuriating.  Can there not be nice communities without this B-Sh#% in NEOhio?

 

Also Clevelander17, I saw where there have been more armed robberies at Coventry and Mayfiled and I think I finally understand your frustration with the Cleveland Heights police and their odd priorities. 

Not good:

 

http://clevelandheights.patch.com/articles/eight-arrested-at-shaker-heights-4th-of-july-fireworks-celebration

 

Why is this happening?

 

Three incidents at the Maple Heights fireworks required the police to deploy pepper spray.  It’s endemic to the area.  We’re talking about the inner ring suburbs and an influx of ghetto subculture.  It’s not even appropriate to call it “white flight” anymore…..an increasing number of black residents are bailing too.

 

I live in Northfield Village and cruisers are ubiquitous along SR8 and can also often be seen on Houghton Road, both 25mph zones that probably shouldn’t be,  though residents don’t complain because they don’t like to pull us over.  I’ve noticed lately that they really don’t seem to pull too many cars over at all.  I suspect it’s a presence thing. 

 

Walton Hills also has a definite presence, at least on certain main roads.  They aren’t vulnerable to section 8 decay because their large lots aren’t tempting to the kind of recipients that would be a problem, but for them, bordering the other towns of the old Bedford Township which have all seen problems lately, it’s a presence thing too.  Though they aren’t shy about writing tickets at all.

CHPD has always placed a great emphasis on 'street presence.'  You can't go a few blocks in CH without seeing a cop.  That pisses people off, but is beneficial in the greater scheme of things.  Just think of the expense the City incurs by allowing their officers to take their cruisers home if they agree to park them on a city street outside their house.  Each cruiser that does that is one less cruiser at the station for the next shift. causing the city to buy more cruisers.  That is just one small example, but goes to show where the emphasis lies.

 

Something I learned while covering the police beat for Sun Newspapers: traffic stops are an important predicate offense that allow cops to check people out. Many criminals are either dumb or have a bad sense of judgment -- it's why they're criminals. So even though a crook may be wanted in four states for various felonies that, if caught, could put him away for three life sentences, he still speeds drunk while texting and without his seatbelt on past the police station at shift change. OK, vastly overblown. But cops and I would always share a laugh about how the guy wanted for burglary got pulled over for speeding. It also amazes me that motorists still flash their headlights at oncoming traffic to warn them about the parked police cruiser they just drove past. I'm sure the wanted serial rapist driving 70 mph in the opposite direction appreciated you tipping him off. People are so nice.

 

I understand the presence theory.  I even believe that it's quite possible that each member of the CHPD "Traffic Safety Bureau" (what's written on the side of some of the squad cars) writes enough tickets in a year to not only pay for their own salary but also the salary of another uniformed officer.  I just think that the CHPD, as a whole, appears to some to be spending more time harassing people who are coming to the city spending money not causing problems and less time tracking down real criminals.  I don't personally believe that to be the entire story, but I do understand where that idea might come from.

 

On a similar note to KJP's anecdotes, I once heard that something like 25% (or some other significant percentage) of drivers pulled over for playing loud music in their cars were found to have drugs in the vehicle.  Don't know if that's entirely true, but it is kind of interesting how a lot of times these criminals do profile themselves in such ways.

 

^Back in the 80's, one of my best friend's dad was shot for pulling a guy over for crossing parking lanes at Severance (those old enough might remember the story).  Turns out the guy was wanted in several states.  Point being, you never know what you are going to roll up on when you make a traffic stop.

 

He was a CHPD officer?  For some reason when Jason West was shot a few years ago I thought I remembered reading in some of the articles that it was the first time a CH cop had been killed in action since the 1940s.

He wasn't killed.  Took one right in the gut and was out of commission for the better part of 6 months, but lived.

 

It sounds like you are suggesting that the city would be better served with a larger presence in the Detective Bureau (tracking down criminals) at the expense of the patrol division.  I disagree.  If I was Safety Director, my priority would be on a Rudy Guliani type order-maintenance policing.  I would narrow the scope and increase the frequency of geographical patrols.  In appropriate settings (Coventry, Cedar-Lee, Cedar-Fairmount, Noble, etc), I would take the officers out of the cars and put them on foot patrol.  They would get to know the residents, business owners, friendly frequenters, and unfriendly frequenters.  This would be my philosophy in any walkable areas of any city.  CH does this about as well as any ciity in the area, which is why it has maintained despite the challenges of being an inner-ring east side city which was originally designed for people of all demographics.

In appropriate settings (Coventry, Cedar-Lee, Cedar-Fairmount, Noble, etc), I would take the officers out of the cars and put them on foot patrol.  They would get to know the residents, business owners, friendly frequenters, and unfriendly frequenters.  This would be my philosophy in any walkable areas of any city.  CH does this about as well as any ciity in the area, which is why it has maintained despite the challenges of being an inner-ring east side city which was originally designed for people of all demographics.

 

Issue 2 probably nixed this possibility.  If anyone's ever heard Dennis Leary's skit on bicycle cops, that's pretty much how most officers view that particular duty.  Walking a beat is even less popular of an idea.

Issue 2 probably nixed this possibility.  If anyone's ever heard Dennis Leary's skit on bicycle cops, that's pretty much how most officers view that particular duty.  Walking a beat is even less popular of an idea.

 

Sure you could blame the failure of Issue 2...or you could you also point to the fact that some in this country simply don't prioritize investments in things like public safety and education.  If you want more cops, one idea is to pay them a lower wage and hope that morale isn't affected.  Another idea is to pay them what they're actually worth and put more money into the public safety pot. 

 

He wasn't killed.  Took one right in the gut and was out of commission for the better part of 6 months, but lived.

 

It sounds like you are suggesting that the city would be better served with a larger presence in the Detective Bureau (tracking down criminals) at the expense of the patrol division.  I disagree.  If I was Safety Director, my priority would be on a Rudy Guliani type order-maintenance policing.  I would narrow the scope and increase the frequency of geographical patrols.  In appropriate settings (Coventry, Cedar-Lee, Cedar-Fairmount, Noble, etc), I would take the officers out of the cars and put them on foot patrol.  They would get to know the residents, business owners, friendly frequenters, and unfriendly frequenters.  This would be my philosophy in any walkable areas of any city.  CH does this about as well as any ciity in the area, which is why it has maintained despite the challenges of being an inner-ring east side city which was originally designed for people of all demographics.

 

I like the idea of increasing foot patrols in key areas as long as we're not talking about cops who have their noses so far deep into their violation books that they're not paying attention to the surroundings.  It sounds good on paper even though the efficacy of the "Broken Windows Theory" pioneered by Guiliani has been called into question.

In appropriate settings (Coventry, Cedar-Lee, Cedar-Fairmount, Noble, etc), I would take the officers out of the cars and put them on foot patrol.  They would get to know the residents, business owners, friendly frequenters, and unfriendly frequenters.  This would be my philosophy in any walkable areas of any city.  CH does this about as well as any ciity in the area, which is why it has maintained despite the challenges of being an inner-ring east side city which was originally designed for people of all demographics.

 

Issue 2 probably nixed this possibility.  If anyone's ever heard Dennis Leary's skit on bicycle cops, that's pretty much how most officers view that particular duty.  Walking a beat is even less popular of an idea.

 

Issue 2?  How so?  Seems people still have a skewed view of collective bargaining rights.  Scheduling and assignments always has and always will be a management right.  Heights already has bike and foot partrols anyways.  And if Guliani could do it in NYC with that union, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem in Ohio 

I agree, foot patrols have helped in the Heights.  Can't have a pedestrian oriented society without pedestrian oriented cops.

It appears that a 65 year old woman was killed in her driveway in South Euclid over the weekend during the course of a robbery.  This occured just north of the Giant Eagle on Mayfield.  I drove right by this crime scene early Saturday morning and didn't even realize it.  So sad.  The police have a 17 year old in custody.  If charged, I'm sure he will be tried as an adult.  I would assume that there was no per se intent to kill, but felony murder charges should attach nonetheless and, if convicted, this kid and any accomplices will be going away for a looooooong time...

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/07/south_euclid_womans_death_call.html

It appears that a 65 year old woman was killed in her driveway in South Euclid over the weekend during the course of a robbery.  This occured just north of the Giant Eagle on Mayfield.  I drove right by this crime scene early Saturday morning and didn't even realize it.  So sad.  The police have a 17 year old in custody.  If charged, I'm sure he will be tried as an adult.  I would assume that there was no per se intent to kill, but felony murder charges should attach nonetheless and, if convicted, this kid and any accomplices will be going away for a looooooong time...

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/07/south_euclid_womans_death_call.html

 

Some parallels between this murder and the Anderson-Norfus murder in Shaker Heights.  Both killings happened in areas unused to such.  Both killers came from towns (Euclid and Maple Heights) which once rarely saw involvement in violent crime, but that's changed.

 

"Boo" Hammons may be a classic example of how the ghetto mentality spreads.  If his parents are who I think they are, they are solid stand up people.  He's bound and determined to act like he grew up on 55th and Scovill "clocking" as soon as he was old enough to reach the car windows driving by. 

I think that South Euclid (particularly the northern and western portions of the city) can expect to see more of this type of stuff.  The worm has already turned in that area and I don't think that adding low-end retail like Walmart is going to help any.

There really is no material difference in the different parts of South Euclid..... with the exception of the Cleveland border along Green Road, which has always been 'iffy' as far back as I can remember.  It's a purely middle class city with little appeal other than location and bang-for-the-buck real estate.  This incident is not part of a trend of any kind.  The most recent murders in the City were this one committed by a non-resident, the one on Green road a few years back committed by a non-resident, and the one earlier this year on Princeton (son killing his father) committed by someone who should have been strictly medicated.

 

I do get a kick out of the people that suggest that Brush HS is getting "rough"....... it always WAS rough.  The only difference is the skin tone of the 'tough guys' has gotten a little darker.  That doesn't mean they are any tougher than what they called "the Bomb Squad" in my day - a group of St. Gregs and St. Margaret Mary kids who graduated to Brush and would jump you in a heartbeat (sometimes with blunt objects) if they caught one of us from accross the Heights border alone.

Brush was always rough?  Dude, you are way off on this one. My sisters went there and it was a fine school in the late 70s-early 80s; it got a bit rougher in the 90s (i'm sure that one principal-pervert didn't help morale) but was still a good middle class school.

 

And then came the 2000s. Like it or not, the school is on a decline, and class disruptions are getting commonplace. Just ask your teacher-friends if you don't agree.

Let me preface this by saying I was in diapers when your sisters went to that "fine" school.  But, as far back as I can remember...... yes, Brush was always known for fights, brawls, and even a full scale race riot in the 90's.  Brass knuckes, bats, knives.... not at all uncommon to find in their trunks.  When I went to HS, for some complex reasons, I could have went to either Brush or Heights.  The decision was not hard for me or my parents (and it wasn't just limited to the fact that there were quite a few of the above mentioned wanna-be tough guys who wanted to kick my arse).  Brush has always had its fair share of problems (given that its population consists and always has consisted of mostly blue-collar families) and it didn't have the elements of excellence (variety of AP programs, Arts, and cultural accolades) which Heights possessed.

 

That said, it was and still is a "good middle class school"......  recently recognized, in fact, as one of the best in the country for black males.

 

Where are class disruptions not becoming commonplace?