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Downtown stakeholders urge council not to pause sheriff’s downtown safety patrol
Summary
During public comment April 22, Ed Eckhart of Downtown Cleveland Incorporated urged Cuyahoga County Council not to pause a sheriff-run downtown safety patrol, saying the patrol—added in August 2023—has reduced crime and improved downtown vibrancy.
Ed Eckhart, senior adviser with Downtown Cleveland Incorporated, used the Committee of the Whole public-comment period on April 22 to urge council members to oppose proposed legislation to pause the sheriff’s downtown safety patrol.
‘‘To put a pause on the patrol now going into the summer months, where we usually experience an uptick in crime just because of the weather, would do a great disservice to all of the work that’s been done in the last 2 plus years,’’ Eckhart said. He told council the patrol’s August 2023 launch had ‘‘a significant impact on the safety and vibrancy’’ of downtown Cleveland, said crime has been ‘‘significantly reduced’’ and reported consistent positive feedback from business owners and property owners.
Eckhart offered Downtown Cleveland Incorporated’s assistance in reviewing any legislative or administrative process related to the patrol and stressed the patrol’s importance for visitors, residents and businesses. Council did not take immediate formal action on the patrol at the meeting; the public-comment period closed after Eckhart’s remarks.
