Editing Cleveland (section)

=== Police and law enforcement{{anchor|Crime}} ===
{{main|Cleveland Division of Police}}
Like in other major American cities, crime in Cleveland is concentrated in areas with higher rates of poverty and lower access to jobs.<ref name="HUD">{{cite web |title=Neighborhoods and Violent Crime |publisher=[[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development]] |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/em/summer16/highlight2.html |access-date=August 7, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Wells |first=Michael V. |title=Crime |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/crime |access-date=August 7, 2019 |date=May 11, 2018 }}</ref> In recent decades, the rate of crime in the city, although higher than the national average, experienced a significant decline, following a nationwide trend in falling crime rates.<ref name="HUD" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Higgs |first=Robert |title=Cleveland's rates for nearly all violent crimes, property crimes dropped again in 2018 |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |url=https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/2019/01/clevelands-rates-for-nearly-all-violent-crimes-property-crimes-dropped-again-in-2018.html |date=January 30, 2019 |access-date=July 10, 2019 }}</ref> However, as in other major U.S. cities, crime in Cleveland saw an abrupt rise in 2020–21.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Shannon |title=Cleveland's rise in violent crime makes national headlines, city leaders react |newspaper=[[WOIO]] |url=https://www.cleveland19.com/2021/01/04/clevelands-rise-violent-crime-makes-national-headlines-city-leaders-react/ |date=January 4, 2021 |access-date=June 17, 2022 }}</ref>

Cleveland's law enforcement agency is the Cleveland Division of Police, established in 1866.<ref name="CLEpolice">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Cleveland Police Department |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-police-department |access-date=August 7, 2019 |date=May 31, 2019 }}</ref> The division had roughly 1,100 sworn officers as of 2024, covering five police districts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cleveland Police Districts |publisher=City of Cleveland |url=https://www.clevelandohio.gov/CityofCleveland/Home/Government/CityAgencies/PublicSafety/Police/Police_Districts |date=2019 |access-date=August 7, 2019 }}</ref> The district system was introduced in the 1930s by Cleveland Public Safety Director [[Eliot Ness]] (of the [[Untouchables (law enforcement)|Untouchables]]), who later [[1947 Cleveland mayoral election|ran for mayor of Cleveland]] in 1947.<ref name="CLEpolice" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Eliot Ness and his role in Cleveland history |publisher=Cleveland Police Museum |url=https://www.clevelandpolicemuseum.org/collections/eliot-ness/ |access-date=August 7, 2019 }}</ref> The [[chief of police|Chief of Police]] is Dorothy A. Todd.<ref>{{cite web |title=Division of Police |publisher=City of Cleveland |url=https://www.clevelandohio.gov/city-hall/departments/public-safety/divisions/police |access-date=March 17, 2024 }}</ref> In addition, the [[Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office]] is based in Downtown Cleveland at the [[Justice Center Complex]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sheriff.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/About-Us.aspx |title=About Us |website=[[Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office]] |access-date=May 24, 2023 }}</ref>