CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH—District 11 Councilwoman Sunny M. Simon releases the following statement:

“Yesterday’s conversation surrounding the operations of the Downtown Safety Patrol was productive, and I have always appreciated hearing from those who have been positively impacted by the work of the Sheriff’s Department.

“While the statistics shared are certainly positive, we cannot forget why we are now having this conversation. Two people died after a seemingly routine vehicle violation turned deadly.

“It is Council’s role to conduct oversight and ensure the Downtown Safety Patrol’s policies and procedures are effective and responsible. This is not about ‘defunding the police,’ scoring cheap political points. To the contrary, this legislation doesn’t cut a single penny from the Sheriff’s budget. Over the years, Council in fact added millions to the Sheriff’s budget after this department’s critical work was underfunded. This is really about making sure the County’s investment in this Patrol is the right investment, and ultimately protects the residents of Cuyahoga County. We are purely looking at the costs and benefits of this work, which is what we should be doing as the stewards of taxpayer dollars.”