Where were the cops? Extreme delays in Cleveland explained

CLEVELAND (WJW) — The Fox 8 I-Team can now answer the questions regarding what took so long for Cleveland Police to respond to 9-1-1 calls when we uncovered extreme delays.

Some people waited hours for police, and in another case, a woman waited three days.

Cleveland Police just finished internal reviews.

The I-Team has now uncovered why it took Cleveland Police 2.5 hours to get to calls for a big crowd, loud cars and gunshots.

We now know why it took police three days to get to a call for gunfire in an apartment.
In June, a woman called 9-1-1 about gunshots in her apartment.

Cleveland Police said a “preventable delay” occurred.

In a statement, a spokesman indicated miscommunication between dispatch and officers on patrol.

The statement said, in part, “In line with our commitment to consistently performing quality assurance reviews and implementing corrective measures, several members of our communications section have received corrective action, including re-training and verbal warnings. Although the incident did not result in physical harm to the caller, we remain dedicated to the safety and well-being of our citizens.”

However, records showed dispatch repeatedly tried to alert police bosses to a long list of 9-1-1 callers waiting for help.

A woman who waited for days told the I-Team , “Just called the police. I never realized they was never gonna come.”

“It’s a shame. Truthfully,” she said. “You have to be afraid in your own home. You can’t depend on police to show up.

As for the 2.5 hour delay, Cleveland Police said an internal review found all officers in that area were, simply, tied up on other high-priority incidents including a shooting.

A 9-1-1 caller from that wild scene, Lanea Haru, said, “So my reaction is, we need some sort of attack plan for how we’re going to hire more police officers. Or, lower the taxes to the point where it’s acceptable. This is unacceptable.”

The I-Team reported for years on Cleveland Police short-staffing. The city raised pay to change that, but this shows more officers recently left the force. And, nearly a quarter of recruits in a training class have dropped out.

The Cleveland Police statement also said, “The Cleveland Division of Police is committed to ensuring the safety of our community, which includes maintaining reasonable response times to all incidents.”

But, those who are tied to these extreme delays are not so convinced.

The woman who’d waited for days said, “The police, the Mayor, nobody, other than you (Fox 8 News) shows up to even question what’s going on? What happened?”

Multiple sources said that at times police in parts of the city can fall dozens of calls behind. That means dozens of people calling 9-1-1 for help are waiting to see a police car.

As for hiring, Cleveland Police have talked about starting another training class in August, but a date has not yet been announced.

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