The City of Cleveland announced on April 21 that an independent review by Sigma Squared found no evidence of racial process bias in the Cleveland Division of Police’s traffic stop, search, and seizure practices for 2024.
The findings are significant as they address ongoing concerns about fairness in policing. The report aims to clarify whether enforcement actions are applied consistently across different groups, which is important for building trust between law enforcement and the community.
Dr. Leigh R. Anderson, Executive Director of the City’s Police Accountability Team, said, “Stop, search, and seizure practices sit at the heart of how communities experience policing, and this report takes a closer look at the Cleveland Division of Police’s data to understand not just what happens, but whether it happens fairly.” Anderson added that continued examination and community engagement remain priorities for maintaining consistent and respectful enforcement.
Sigma Squared’s analysis controlled for factors such as interaction circumstances, location, and reasons for stops before examining disparities. Dr. Tanaya Devi of Sigma Squared stated: “Fairness in policing is a moral imperative — and one that demands empirical rigor to evaluate honestly. While the data reveal disparities in search rates, they do not show evidence of process bias in overall search decisions. We hope this analysis gives Cleveland a clearer picture of where things stand and where work remains.” Outcomes following searches were found to be broadly similar across racial groups regarding contraband discovery rates and arrest rates.
Dr. Roland Fryer from Harvard University led Sigma Squared’s team. He said: “The relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve is extraordinarily important… If we rely solely on population percentages to judge police activity – assuming that a group’s share of stops must equal its share of the population – we risk eroding trust and overlooking the real drivers of public safety.”
A separate assessment by an Independent Federal Monitoring Team noted that most stops reviewed were supported by reasonable suspicion or probable cause due to local residential demographics affecting patterns seen within each district.
Chief Todd commented: “The Cleveland Division of Police is committed to constitutional policing, and recent assessments are a validation of our policies, training, and practices.”
Looking ahead, city officials plan further community engagement events with Kent State University aimed at strengthening collaboration between residents and police while supporting reforms focused on transparency accountability.
