Committee reviews citation data, speed‑table results and gaps in traffic data systems

The Cleveland Heights Public Safety and Health Committee on Jan. 28 reviewed recent court citation data and preliminary speed‑calming results and pressed city staff to improve the way traffic and enforcement data are collected and analyzed.

Committee Vice Chair Gail Larsen said she had received Cleveland Heights court citation records last week and shared them with committee members, including a historical comparison that shows citations fell in recent years and have begun to rise again. Larsen said the packet also included data from two temporary speed tables the city installed — one on Harcourt and one on South Taylor — and city mapping that uses a cell‑phone data service (Urban SDK) to estimate average travel speeds on selected streets.

Larsen said the Harcourt installation showed a drop from about 27 mph to roughly 21 mph in the tested segment, and the South Taylor installation showed a similar 5–6 mph reduction in average speed. "At 21 miles an hour, that's close to school‑zone speed and, obviously, a very safe speed," Larsen said. A committee member noted the City of Cleveland reported about a 7 mph reduction in its tests, which the committee took as corroboration that the local measurements are probably reliable.

The committee focused considerable discussion on access to usable enforcement and crash data. Larsen said conversations with the police chief and with the mayor's office indicate staff can produce raw eCitation reports but lack the integrated software and staff time to make heat maps or neighborhood‑level analyses. "It seemed to be more of an issue of, boy, we just don't have the resources to do it with everything else that's on our work plan," Larsen said after meeting with the chief and administrators.

Members raised specific technical problems: inconsistent coding in citation descriptions (for example, a single stop can generate an entry with multiple subitems such as license forfeiture, no license and a child‑restraint violation) and older record systems that do not automatically integrate with mapping tools. Committee members asked whether all patrol units have eCitation capability (a staff response indicated they do) and said that data‑integration tools used in other cities can produce standard visualizations with far less manual effort.

Committee members discussed how speed‑table equipment is procured and deployed. Larsen said the city had borrowed temporary tables through NOACA and explained that the typical NOACA practice is to rent the unit, then either return it or purchase a replacement for the regional inventory. Director Klinkscale reported training was provided to snowplow operators so the devices could remain installed during winter operations.

The committee did not take a formal vote. Members recorded two clear next steps: Larsen said she will contact Mayor Justin Bibb Dan Horrigan (chief administrative officer) to ask whether the administration will collaborate on a citywide survey and on budgeting for data‑integration and analysis tools; and the committee asked staff to include the Urban SDK speed maps and the eCitation reports in the committee packet for its next meeting so members and the public can review the raw materials.

Committee members framed the discussion around budget priorities: several members said traffic safety ranked highly in recent community surveys and argued that the council — which approves capital and operating budgets — should consider funding permanent traffic‑calming devices and the software/staffing necessary to analyze citation and crash data.

The conversation also touched on equity concerns raised in neighboring Shaker Heights, where residents and advocates questioned whether traffic enforcement disproportionately affects drivers of particular racial groups. Committee members cited the Shaker listening project as an example of a broader community engagement effort that began with traffic issues and expanded into larger public‑safety and equity questions.

Ending: Members requested clearer, standardized data exports from the police eCitation system and for planning staff to include the Urban SDK maps in the next packet. Larsen said she would reach out to the administration to discuss whether the city will fund data integration and whether that work can be timed to the upcoming budget process.