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By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A 19-year old Black Cleveland area woman convicted earlier this year in connection with the 2021 New Year's Eve carjacking and shooting death of off-duty Cleveland police officer Shane Bartek in the Kamms Corner neighborhood on the city's largely White west side and four other robberies was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday with parole eligibility after 26 years in the murder case. With all of the combined sentences, including the multiple robberies and the killing of Bartek, the woman will be eligible for parole  after serving 54 years in prison.

Tamara McLoyd, of Garfield Heights, who was 18 when she shot and killed Bartek, was convicted by a Cuyahoga County common pleas jury on Aug 3 relative to the officer's shooting death, including aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, felonious assault, grand theft, and having weapons under disability She did not take the stand and testify at her own trial.

In addition to Bartek, seven others were victimized by McLoyd, who was convicted of the four armed robberies unrelated to Bartek on Aug 26, also by a common pleas jury.

Common Pleas Judge John O'Donnell, a pro cop judge who once publicaly bragged when he acquitted former  Cleveland cop Michael Brelo of gunning down two unarmed Blacks with 49 bullets during a celebrated bench trial that generated protests and activists' arrests, said Wednesday during sentencing that the punishment fits the crime. But this time the judge did not bragg, one way or another.

"You are a walking id," O'Donnell told McLoyd after he handed down his sentence. "You threatened, you stole, you robbed, and [you] killed without compunction."

Her attorneys told the jury at trial that she was drunk and high when the incident with Bartek happened.

McLoyd’s defense team argued to the jury that the state did not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt while the prosecution says McLoyd admitted in her interrogation that she robbed and then shot and killed the young police officer, who was single and had no children.

Bartek's mother, grandmother and twin sister named Summer Bartek watched from the overflow room along with a cadre of Cleveland police officers as the celebrated case was handed to jurors for deliberation. On Wednesday, after he was sentenced his mother, Debra Bartek, and his brother Erik Bartek, spoke

"As a mother of a police officer, you know it’s a possibility that your child can be killed on their job; you don’t think on the way to a Cav's game your child will be murdered over a car," his mother said.

Though Officer Bartek, 25 at the time of his death and a police officer since August of 2019, was off-duty when he was killed, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb deemed his killing that of an on-duty cop in order that the fallen officer's family could qualify for benefits, including funeral and burial monies.

McLoyd  was on probation and under the supervision of the Lorain County Juvenile Court for a robbery conviction when she ashot and killed Bartek.  Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Mike O'Malley told reporters that at that time McLoyd had been convicted of robbery as a juvenile in Lorain County Juvenile Court and that she should not have been on the streets, though a judge who had released her from custody obviously disagreed with his stance.

Officer Bartek was shot twice in the back in his car, which was parked outside of his apartment complex. He was pronounced dead after being transported by EMS from the scene of the shooting to Fairview Hospital.

Surveillance video purportedly reveals that McLoyd drove off in the officer's personal car after she shot him. She ultimately delivered the car to Anthony Butler Jr, 28 and of Bedford Heights, the other suspect who was charged with fleeing and receiving stolen property. On June 29, Butler pleaded guilty to the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, failure to comply, receiving stolen property and obstructing official business. and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Police recovered the stolen car following a high speed chase through the city and several other communities.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

Pictured is Cleveland Mayot Justin Bibb

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com.

CLEVELAND, Ohio-Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is creating a Police Accountability Team to support the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP)'s continuing improvements and to assist with the final successful implementation of the consent decree, he says.

The city and the U.S. Department of Justice are parties to the court-monitored consent decree for police reforms that was implemented in May of 2015 behind several questionable police shooting deaths of unarmed Blacks over the last decade, including Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams in 2012, who were gunned down by 13-non-Black Cleveland cops shooting 137 bullets, and 12-year-old Tamir Rice in November of 2014. And Cleveland voters passed a controversial new charter amendment of police oversight known as Issue 24 last November.

Police accoutability and public saftey are key to the mayor's reform initiative as uirban cities natrionwide like Cleveland struggle with rising crime, poverty, educational inequity for largely Black public school students, and racism, all while tensions between police and the Black community continue to flouish.

"The safety of our neighbors and our community is our number one priority," said Mayor Bibb, who took office in January and succeeded four term former mayor Frank Jackson, who retired last year and was mayor when the consent decree was first implemented.

Bibb said that "we support our police, and this team will help ensure that the improvements we have made become permanent parts of our culture of service, safety and accountability."

The mayor said that the goal of the new Police Accountability Team (PAT) is to achieve successful compliance, continual review, and collaboration with the CDP. The day-to-day work will include policy review, updates, audits, and critical data analysis to capture results and make recommendations for appropriate modifications to ensure best practices and move the city toward eventual compliance and termination of the consent decree.

The city is seeking a qualified candidate to serve as executive director who will assemble and collaborate closely with Cleveland employees who have been assigned to work on the consent decree since its inception. The PAT will include professionals who are skilled in police procedure, community engagement, data analysis, and the law of constitutional policing.

Bibb, 35 and the city's fourth Black mayor behind Jackson, said that since 2019, CDP's overall use of excessive force incidents are down 42 percent, criminal misconduct allegations made during Internal Affairs investigations have sharply decreased, and cases are being closed more quickly, with an average time of 144 days in 2021 (compared to 307 days in 2018).

And according to the mayor, since 2020, excessive force complaints are down 54 percent, improper procedure complaints have decreased, and the CDP has increased the use of crisis intervention de-escalation techniques by 24 percent.

The mayor said that since he took office the city has made progress on police reforms in several areas, including the expanded use of the diversion center for non-violent offenders, more crisis intervention training and increased community engagement through mandatory park and walks and a host of community events that encourage positive interaction between law enforcement and residents.

The city and the DOJ submitted a joint amendment to the consent decree in March of this year to permit the implementation of Charter Section 115, formerly known as Issue 24. The resulting new 13-member Community Police Commission, once confirmed by city council, will be a permanent, independent municipal commission with final authority over CDP policies, procedures, hiring practices and training. They will have final say over officer discipline along with the power to subpoena documents.

"We are focused on making Cleveland a national model for police reform. Right now, we have multiple layers and mechanisms for oversight," said Mayor Bibb. "Moving forward, we are focused on implementing lasting, sustainable change under the consent decree as we shift towards independent oversight."

Newly promoted Cleveland Deputy Police Cheif Dorothy "Annie" Todd

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September 24, 2022 — CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb, Chief Director of Public Safety Karrie D. Howard and Police Chief Wayne Drummond are pleased to announce that Commander Dorothy "Annie" Todd has been appointed as the new deputy police chief of the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP).

Flanked by Chief Drummond and some rank and file types there in support, Deputy Chief Todd was sworn in by Mayor Bibb at City Hall.

"Deputy Chief Todd is an effective and empathic leader who has spent the last 21 years protecting and serving the city," said Mayor Bibb. "We are delighted to recognize her accomplishments and welcome her to this new role."

Chief Drummond said that Todd is an effective leader, and an asset to the Cleveland Police Department

The mayor, who took office for the first time in January, also said that the city is deeply grateful to Todd's predecessor, outgoing deputy chief Joellen O'Neill, who recently retired after eight years as deputy police chief and 30 years of dedicated service in law enforcement and outstanding leadership. He wished her the best.

"We wish her [former deputy police chief JoelleN O'Neil] all the best in her retirement," Bibb said of O'Neil.

Todd is now the highest ranking woman in the CDP as the city of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice remain parties to a court-monitored consent decree for police reforms. Also, Cleveland voters passed a controversial new charter amendment of police oversight known as Issue 24 last November

Deputy Chief Todd more recently was commander of CDP's third district. She has been with the CDP since September 2000 and has held the ranks of sergeant (2012), lieutenant (2017) and commander of the third district (2019). As incident commander who supervised high-profile events within the  downtown area, including presidential visits and debates, MLB All-Star, the NFL Draft, NBA All-Star, and the Cleveland Air Show, along with numerous parades, women's rights and excessive force marches and demonstrations, and festivals.

Deputy Chief Todd has also received awards during her law enforcement career for heroism and other distinguished service.

Women's March Cleveland head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, who also leads Imperial Women Coalition, the grassroots activist group founded in 2009 relative to the murders of 11 Black women on Imperial Avenue in Cleveland by the late serial killer Anthony Sowell, said that Deputy Chief Todd, when she was a commander over events and protests this summer, including after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, was fair, wise, firm, and respectful to community activists.

"Deputy Chief Todd was a pleasure to work this year with as a commander during high profile rallies and marches in Cleveland when tensions were high and anything could happen and several of the young women who were protesting with us in the trenches this past summer around abortion access and reproductive rights during this crisis time for women in America admired and respected her," said Coleman. "We congratulate her on her promotion and urge the CDP to promote more women, Blacks and people of color in general in positions of leadership, particularly since Cleveland is a largely Black majority female city, and a major American city."

Coleman said that pro-life counterprotesters, mainly disgruntled, angry White men, would sometimes seek to antagonize protesters during pro-abortion rallies and marches in Cleveland, usually in an effort to harass young pro-choice women. But the presence of seasoned organizers and law enforcement types like Deputy Chief Dorothy Todd, she said, would often deter them, and potential violence.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

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Here is the Facebook link for this event where hundreds have already responded: https://www.facebook.com/event...

CLEVELAND, Ohio-Join us in Cleveland, Ohio on Oct 8, 2022 for a national day of action for women-As a sister march with sister cities nationwide, Women's March Cleveland will host a local march to the national women's march on Oct 8, 2022 at 1:30pm at Market Square Park at West 25th Street and Lorain Ave near downtown Cleveland across from the Westside Market. Stay tuned for more info, including a more comprehensive agenda and a list of speakers. Contact tel (216-659-0473)

CNN.com-The body of Queen Elizabeth II was buried at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor on Monday evening, according to the official website of the royal family.

Read more about the queen's funeral by CNN.com

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com the most read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio and in the Midwest Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.