According to Signal Cleveland, the Cleveland Community Police Commission is set to add six or seven new members in January. The 13-member panel will have mostly new faces because just one of its five active commissioners wants another term.
The outlet reported that co-chair John Adams and commissioners Piet van Lier, Imoh Umosen and James Chura passed on seeking another term. Also not returning are Audrianna Rodriguez, described by Signal Cleveland as absent without leave for most of the year, and Luther Roddy, who was appointed but never joined.
Adams cited what he views as disrespect and insufficient support from the city, the report said. His examples included Mayor Justin Bibb not acting on a request to remove a commissioner, the administration's effort to end the consent decree without consulting the commission, and a dispute over legal representation. Adams also mentioned periodic internal conflict, though he said it is less frequent and less damaging than before.
Van Lier first applied for reinstatement but later changed his mind, largely for personal reasons, according to the report. He also pointed to a lack of city support and said it contributes to a public perception of commission dysfunction. Van Lier said he was proud of work on police policies, including a discipline matrix that has not yet passed, and described the police policy unit as a cooperative partner.
Umosen said he had planned to reapply, but growing work obligations as a PNC Bank project manager made that impossible. He offered to answer questions from new commissioners. Chura did not respond to a request for comment, Signal Cleveland reported.
Commissioner Untaya Miller sought a second term. She was among 21 applicants interviewed last week; nearly 60 people applied, according to the outlet.