Settlement on Police Brutality Reached in Cleveland

The City of Cleveland and the Department of Justice announced a settlement agreement after the conclusion of an 18-month investigation which found that Cleveland police engaged in widespread use of excessive force against its civilians.

“A fundamental goal of the revised use of force policy will be to account for, review, and investigate every reportable use of force,” the agreement says.

In the 105-page document, which modifies Cleveland police tactics, officers also will not be allowe to discharge their weapon at a moving vehicle "unless use of lethal force is justified by something other than the threat from the moving vehicle."

However, the DOJ’s settlement agreeement prompted a series of angry reponses from twitter users: 

Just so we're clear: Cleveland just settled with DoJ by promising to hire more black cops. Like the one charged with Freddie Gray's murder.

— Patrick Henrys Ghost (@Pissed_Pat) May 26, 2015

Is it me or is it a tad bit inappropriate the DOJ settles w/ Cleveland right after they acquit a murdering officer??? Do #BlackLivesMatter??

— Mezzo Adult Ministry (@Mezzos) May 26, 2015

@CBSNLive @CBSNews BREAKING: #Cleveland Police Dept promises not to murder so many unarmed black passengers. #BlackLivesMatter

— Drunk Dick Cheney (@Drunk_Cheney) May 26, 2015

​The settlement comes days after the acquittal of a white police officer, Michael Brelo, who killed Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams in 2012, after he got on the hood of the unarmed couple’s car and fired 34 shots.

Members of about 40 area churches marched today in protest of the acquittal of Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo.

The DOJ’s final report, which was published in December, says the pattern of excessive force manifests itself in several ways, including:

• The unnecessary and excessive use of deadly force, including shootings and head strikes with impact weapons;
• The unnecessary, excessive or retaliatory use of less lethal force including tasers, chemical spray and fists;
• Excessive force against persons who are mentally ill or in crisis, including in cases where the officers were called exclusively for a welfare check; and
• The employment of poor and dangerous tactics that place officers in situations where avoidable force becomes inevitable and places officers and civilians at unnecessary risk.

The Cleveland Police Department has gained an infamous reputation for imposing lenient punishments on officers charged with police misconduct, with criminal prosecution of police for misconduct being rare.