"Cleveland punishes 12 officers in deadly chase" by Thomas J. Sheeran | Associated Press, June 12, 2013
CLEVELAND — Cleveland police fired a sergeant and meted out demotions and suspensions Tuesday for a car chase last year that involved five dozen cruisers, 137 rounds of ammunition fired by 13 officers, and the death of two people who, it turned out, were probably unarmed....
Dozens of cruisers became involved in the chase without permission from superiors and with little direction, according to a state report released earlier in the year. The episode damaged the department’s relationship with residents and must be repaired, Chief Michael McGrath said at a news conference Tuesday....
In March, the US Justice Department said it was opening a wide-ranging civil rights investigation into the use of force by Cleveland police, looking beyond the chase to analyze several years of excessive force claims and police policies, training, and procedures....
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"75 officers cited in deadly Ohio chase" Associated Press, August 03, 2013
CLEVELAND — A review of a deadly police chase in Cleveland last fall has found that 75 patrol officers violated orders and police department rules, city officials said Friday. Nineteen officers face disciplinary hearings.
In the November chase, a fleeing driver and passenger were killed when officers fired 137 shots at them. The 23-minute pursuit involved five dozen cruisers and wove through residential neighborhoods before ending in gunfire.
Police Chief Michael McGrath said at a news conference Friday that the violations ranged from insubordination to failure to obtain permission to leave the city. By way of example, he said, an officer might have been driving 100 miles per hour on a side street and was told to stop, but did not.
Some officers were cited for multiple violations, he said, but none of the violations was so serious they warranted termination. Punishments could range from a written reprimand to a suspension....
No jail for murder?
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"Ohio police suspend 63 officers over deadly chase" by John Seewer | Associated Press, October 16, 2013
CLEVELAND — A review of a deadly police chase in Cleveland nearly a year ago has led to suspensions for 63 patrol officers who violated orders and department rules, the city’s police chief said Tuesday.
A fleeing driver and passenger were killed when officers fired 137 shots at them in the 23-minute chase that involved five dozen cruisers and wove through residential neighborhoods before ending in gunfire.
Police Chief Michael McGrath said the suspensions were the result of disciplinary hearings, and violations ranged from insubordination to driving too fast during the chase.
The hearings did not involve any of the officers involved in the shooting because a county grand jury is investigating possible criminal wrongdoing among the 13 officers who fired their weapons. No weapon or shell casings were found in the fleeing car....
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Related:
"Six killed after police cruiser, car collide in Ohio" by Kantele Franko and Andrew Welsh-Huggins | Associated Press, October 19, 2013
UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio — Police say the camera from a police cruiser shows an officer had entered an intersection with a green light when his vehicle struck a car, killing all six members of a family.
Perry Township Chief of Police Robert Oppenheimer said the footage shows the victims’ Toyota Corolla enter the intersection on a red light and then stop before the crash.
It's always the citizen's fault.
The officer, from Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, was responding to an armed robbery report when the crash occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. Friday. Officials say the cruiser’s lights were flashing and the siren was on.
Police say a Columbus man was driving the other car, with his wife and their four daughters — ages 16, 14, 12, and 2 — as passengers. No one was wearing a seat belt, and the toddler was not in a child seat, Oppenheimer said.
‘‘That car was just totaled, and they probably died instantly,’’ he said. Autopsies were planned.
The officer, who had been traveling alone, was being treated for a serious head injury at a hospital but was in stable condition, said Jason Pappas, head of the local police union.
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Also see: 35 hurt when bus veers off highway in Ohio
