Public safety committee presses Cleveland police on vehicles in Cuyahoga River after delayed removals

Council members pressed the Cleveland Division of Police on why two vehicles that Ohio Department of Natural Resources personnel identified in the Cuyahoga River in May were not removed until October, and what the department is doing to recover other vehicles known to be submerged.

The committee heard that ODNR identified multiple vehicles on sonar in May and that two vehicles were removed months later as part of an ODNR training exercise. Chief Todd and police staff said the removals required months of planning, specialized equipment and qualified contractors; one of the two removed vehicles was linked to a stolen-vehicle report and another was connected to a nonfatal shooting. Chief Todd said the department has no current investigative leads tying the remaining submerged vehicles to a homicide or missing-person investigation that would justify an immediate, expanded recovery operation.

Committee members, including the council chair and Councilman Jones, pressed police leaders for a timeline and asked whether property owners where vehicles are being deposited should be required to secure river access. The chair relayed concerns from a young man’s grandmother, who remains distraught and wants a prompt search effort. The chair said the city law department and building and housing should notify property owners who provide easy river access and consider bollards, fences or gates to reduce illegal vehicle dumping.

Deputy Chief Pillow and Captain Simon explained that the division does not maintain a full-time dive/recovery unit; the ports-and-harbors function is a call-up unit. When ODNR removed the two vehicles during a scheduled training operation, ODNR absorbed the direct removal cost so the activity could proceed as part of that exercise. Police said they have the ability to contract for dive and recovery services when an investigation indicates it is necessary, but they do not have capacity to recover every old vehicle reported in the river without outside assistance.

Police representatives told the committee some vehicles in the river have been there for “several years,” and that weather and diver safety also constrain recovery windows. Committee members reiterated liability concerns if a vehicle still in the river contains a missing person and asked police to coordinate with the law department, building and housing, and county and state partners to identify property owners along likely access points.

Police said they will continue to work with ODNR, the U.S. Coast Guard and other partners, and will refer property-access and security questions to the law and building departments for possible civil remedies to secure riverbank access.

The committee did not adopt a new formal directive during the update; members asked for follow-up information and coordination plans from police and city attorneys.