Cleveland Officials to Give Update on Consent Decree

Mayor, Police Chief, and Accountability Team to Address Police Reform Progress

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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City of Cleveland officials, including the mayor, city council president, police chief, and the executive director of the Mayor's Police Accountability Team, will hold a news conference on Thursday morning to provide an update on the Consent Decree that has governed the Cleveland Police Department for over a decade.

Why it matters

The Consent Decree was implemented in 2015 after the U.S. Department of Justice found the Cleveland Police Department was violating parts of the U.S. Constitution and federal law. This update will shed light on the progress made in police reform efforts that have cost taxpayers over $60 million so far.

The details

The Consent Decree covers 8 key areas with dozens of subsections that the Cleveland Police Department has been working to improve, including community engagement, use of force, crisis intervention, accountability, and officer support. A federal monitoring team of 19 attorneys, law enforcement members, and policy experts has been overseeing the department's compliance.

  • The Consent Decree was implemented in 2015 after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation.
  • The news conference is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, February 19, 2026.

The players

Justin Bibb

The Mayor of Cleveland.

Blaine Griffin

The President of the Cleveland City Council.

Dorothy Todd

The Chief of the Cleveland Police Department.

Leigh Anderson

The Executive Director of the Mayor's Police Accountability Team.

U.S. Department of Justice

The federal agency that found the Cleveland Police Department was violating the Constitution and federal law, leading to the Consent Decree.

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What’s next

The monitoring team will continue to oversee the Cleveland Police Department's progress in meeting the requirements of the Consent Decree.

The takeaway

This update on the Consent Decree will provide insight into the ongoing efforts to reform the Cleveland Police Department and address longstanding issues of constitutional violations and lack of accountability, which have cost taxpayers millions over the past decade.