Cleveland police hire firm to look for potential bias when officers encounter the public

This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project - Cleveland , a nonprofit news team covering Ohio’s criminal justice systems.

Amid public perception that Cleveland police target Black drivers, city officials have contracted with a data analytics firm to help department leaders monitor potential bias and discrimination by officers.

The move comes one year after a Marshall Project - Cleveland and News 5 analysis of 17,000 police stops found police searched Black people more than three times as often as White people during 2023 stops — despite finding contraband at similar rates.

Leigh Anderson, executive director of Cleveland’s Police Accountability Team, said the contract delivers on a promise that city leaders made in October 2024 to engage outside expert