Understanding crime in Cleveland Heights: A snapshot of the CHPD

At a public forum this summer, sponsored by FutureHeights and the Heights Observer, Cleveland Heights Police Chief Jeffrey Robertson said that maintaining diversity on the police force is a management priority.

“Officers in this department come from many different backgrounds, as do the residents of the city,” Robertson said. “I feel that a well-educated work force that reflects the community that it serves is helpful in the job that we do.”

The CHPD currently employs 101 sworn officers, all of whom undergo state-regulated police academy training.

Among these are the chief, deputy chief, three captains, four lieutenants, eight sergeants and 54 police officers. All of these are civil service positions—meaning candidates must have a four-year college degree and take a civil service exam to be considered for the job.

The remaining 30 positions are basic patrol officers—no civil service exam and no degree requirement. Once hired, these officers are encouraged to complete their degrees so they can take the civil service exam, Robertson said.

Three-fourths of the officers have advanced degrees beyond high school. Of these, seven have associate degrees; 48 have bachelor's degrees; 11 have earned a master’s and another two are in progress; five have law degrees, with another two in progress; and one has completed coursework on a Ph.D. in psychology and is working on her doctoral thesis, according to Robertson.

Twelve officers are women, while 89 are men. Twenty-four are African American and 77 are white. An Orthodox Jewish officer recently joined the force, and two officers are naturalized citizens fluent in Russian.

Understanding Crime in Cleveland Heights is an ongoing series that seeks to foster understanding and perspective on policing in the city. For more background from the original article in this series, scan the QR code or visit http://tiny.cc/chcrimestats.