The head of Cleveland’s police patrol union said aspects of the agreement with the U.S. Justice Department that mandates sweeping reforms to the city’s police department could put officers in danger, reports the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Officers could be hesitant to draw their guns because doing so would result in more paperwork under the terms of the agreement, said Cleveland Police Patrolman’s Association president Steve Loomis. The agreement requires an officer to complete a report each time he or she points a gun at a suspect. “It’s going to get somebody killed,” Loomis said. “There’s going to be a time when someone isn’t going to want to do that paperwork, so he’s going to keep that gun in its holster.”
Loomis believes the 105 pages of reforms are a response to high-profile incidents that have happened nationwide, rather than to incidents that have happened in Cleveland, including the 2012 police chase that saw 13 officers fire at two unarmed people 137 times, the police shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice and the death of a mentally ill woman after officers forced her to the ground. “This is a political agenda,” he said. “This has nothing to do with the actions of the men and women of the Cleveland police department.” There are aspects of the decree the union intends to fight. One example is the portion of the consent decree that mandates a system through which citizens can file anonymous complaints against officers. Loomis believes that will increase false complaints.