Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb Takes “All-of-Government Approach” to Summer Safety

During the summer months, when warm weather and sunshine abound, people spend more time outdoors in their communities and exploring new areas. However, data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics reveal a corresponding rise in crime rates during this season as temperatures rise and activity rates climb.

In Cleveland, Ohio, Mayor Justin Bibb took action early to minimize summer’s rising crime rates. On May 21, he unveiled the summer safety plan, which he described as an “all-of-government approach.”

“We are taking a targeted, data-driven approach to narrow in on neighborhoods across the city that have historically been affected by violence during the summer months,” said Mayor Bibb.

The plan is a collaborative effort by municipal departments, community-led organizations, and law enforcement agencies at all government levels — local, state and federal.

It addresses both crime as it occurs and the inciting circumstances by increasing police presence while expanding social services. Mayor Bibb stated that “our comprehensive strategy goes beyond just law enforcement, as various departments will be prioritizing the delivery of city services in these hotspots…with the goal of creating a ripple effect in reducing crime citywide.”

Collaborative efforts for this plan include:

• Street repairs and graffiti removal by the Department of Public Works
• Streetlight upgrades by the Department of Public Utilities
• Code enforcement and citation upon violations by the Department of Building and Housing
• Support from Neighborhood Safety Fund grantees
• Violence interruption services and citizen outreach by the Office of Prevention, Intervention, and Opportunity and the Department of Community Relations
• Robocalls and senior-targeted engagement efforts by the Department of Aging.

Additionally, Mayor Bibb supported the new Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), previously highlighting the center’s significance for summer safety, calling it “a key component to keeping our streets safe.” This new hub was created to address an increase in homicides and to further enhance summer safety.

CGICs also help law enforcement track down illegal straw purchases of guns, stopping convicted felons from receiving a gun purchased by someone without a criminal record.

“What we have in Ohio, and really across the country, is straw purchases of illegal guns that continue to allow for the acquisition of these illegal guns on our streets,” Bibb said. “[It] is very problematic, especially because we don’t have common sense comprehensive gun reform at the federal and state level.”

Since the announcement of the summer safety plan, Cleveland police reported that Operation Heat Wave, the traffic branch of the plan, successfully recovered over 380 guns between May 1 and July 8. And for the year to date, Mayor Bibb said at a July 17 town hall that homicides were down 34 percent, carjackings 28 percent, and shootings down 12 percent.

“That’s progress, but we have a lot more work to do,” he said.