Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Residents and a former police commissioner urge Cleveland Council to pause police drone program, cite consent-decree oversight concerns
Summary
During public comment, former police commissioner Terry Wong and residents urged the council to freeze a drone program purchased with city funds and to involve the community police commission and independent monitors; speakers also raised broader concerns about the federal consent decree and police oversight spending.
At the Cleveland City Council public-comment period, a former police commissioner and multiple residents urged the city to pause a police drone program and to increase public oversight, saying the purchase and policy expansion occurred without adequate community input.
Former Cleveland police commissioner Terry Wong told the council the administration approved $255,000 in taxpayer funds for police drones in February 2024 and urged an immediate freeze until public, technical and ethical review can take place. Wong said the purchase bypassed the community police commission and called for documents justifying the procurement to be released.
"In February 2024, this administration approved $255,000 in taxpayer funds for police drones," Wong said. "This purchase bypassed the community police commission, the body legally tasked with overseeing police policy." He urged the council to "freeze the drone…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
