Federal District Judge Denies Motion to End City of Cleveland Consent Decree

Judge Solomon Oliver, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, recently denied a joint motion by the City of Cleveland and U.S. Department of Justice to end the 2015 Consent Decree requiring  reforms within the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP).  Judge Oliver, Jr. and the  Cleveland Police Monitoring Team oversee the Consent Decree.  The May 8, 2026 Order notes that “the City of Cleveland and CDP have made significant changes to the policies, procedures, and training that govern Cleveland’s police force.  Only recently, however, has the effect of these changes been measurable.  The Consent Decree is not a check list.  It is framework for systemic change. … The parties have not demonstrated that the community trust and cultural reform envisioned by the Decree have been fully realized.”  The Order also set a status conference for June 4, 2026.  For more information, see the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team and Cleveland Community Police Commission websites.