The head of the Cleveland Police Patrolman's Association claims that certain aspects of a newly signed consent decree could put officers in danger.
CPPA President Steve Loomis said Wednesday a requirement for officers to complete a report each time their gun is unholstered could make officers hesitant to draw their weapons, according to The Northeast Ohio Media Group .
"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."
The City of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday unveiled the agreement aimed at transforming the embattled police department with sweeping reforms.
The agreement will become legally binding once approved by a federal judge and a monitor will be appointed to oversee changes within the police department.
A DOJ report released in December said that officers struck citizens in the head with the butt of their guns and shot at fleeing suspects. Loomis said the report overstates how often officers use force and that of the 31,000 people arrested in the city last year, officers used force approximately 400 times.
Lommis believes that the 105-page document is a response to high-profile police-involved incidents that have occurred nationwide, and not incidents involving Cleveland police officers.
"This is a political agenda," he told the newspaper. "This has nothing to do with the actions of the men and women of the Cleveland police department."
Lommis said there are aspects of the decree the union intends to fight and that it will pursue legal action against anyone who files a false complaint against a police officer.
