Race, Inequality, and the Cleveland Police Consent Decree

college of arts and sciences logo
Center for Policy Studies
Public Affairs Discussion Group
Race, Inequality, and the Cleveland Police Consent Decree

headshot

Lewis R. Katz, J.D. – John C. Hutchins Professor of Law Emeritus

Friday September 9, 2022
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Meeting Both In-Person and by Zoom
Dampeer Room, Second Floor of Kelvin Smith Library
*
Case Western Reserve University

Dear Colleagues:

After two years only on Zoom, the “Friday Lunch” has returned for Fall Semester 2022 with discussions held “in-person” again.

For our second meeting of the semester, we’re glad to welcome Lew Katz, who brings his perspective as one of the nation’s leading authorities on criminal law, especially search-and-seizure, to his position as Co-Chair of the Cleveland Community Police Commission (CPC).

In order to make it easy for people to protect themselves and still participate, the meetings are also going to be accessible on Zoom. Participants can register for each meeting in the same way they did for the past two years. The link is posted below.

This “dual delivery” is a work in progress. On the first day we found that the set-up gave us a choice between showing the speaker or the group in the room. We will try to show both. We also found that having a microphone on the tables made it possible for the people on Zoom to hear comments from the room, but created an echo if I (the speaker) spoke from the lectern. So we hope people will be patient as we work out the kinks.

We also had lots of left-over goodies as more people signed in on Zoom than came to the room. So it may take a while to work out how much is needed! I hope we will have more people in the room this week both so I don’t feel the need to consume so many extra treats, and because of the opportunity to hear from one of the eminent professors from our School of Law.

Professor Katz is author of many editions of Ohio Arrest, Search and Seizure (most recently updated for January 2022), which covers topics such as traffic stops and interrogations. He has consulted to the Ohio Sentencing Commission and both New York and Pennsylvania Criminal Justice Commissions. But he says his work with the CPC has been especially eye-opening.

The CPC’s own work documents that police reform in Cleveland is sort of a never-ending story. Professor Katz chaired the work for one study of the extent to which smaller private departments that operate within Cleveland, such as those affiliated with universities and hospitals, have met standards set by the Memorandum of Understanding between the city and Department of Justice. Compliance has been mixed, and only CWRU’s department was found to be in full compliance. During the election for mayor, Professor Katz moderated a candidates forum, hosted by the university, about their views on police reform.

Please join us as he shares what he has learned.

In-Person and Virtual Attendance

The discussion begins at 12:30 p.m., but the Dampeer Room should be open no later than Noon. We try to have beverages and refreshments set up soon after that. Participants should be able to sign on to Zoom also by Noon. But please remember not much will be happening online until the talk begins at 12:30.

Zoom participants will probably have trouble hearing comments made by members of the audience in the room. As moderator I will repeat and summarize such comments or questions. Zoom participants are also encouraged to submit questions through Zoom’s chat function. The chat will be monitored.

Each week we will send out this newsletter with information about the topic. It will also include a link to register (for free) for the discussion. When you register, you will automatically receive from the Zoom system the link to join the meeting. If you do not get the newsletter, you should also be able to get the information each Monday by checking http://fridaylunch.case.edu/. Then if you choose you can use the contact form on that website to request the registration link.

This week’s Zoom link for registration is:

https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEkd-6hpzItHNeQ1YJP9wwPYQvnaqzIJxfI

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please e-mail padg@case.edu if you have questions about how the Zoom version of the Friday Lunch will work or any other suggestions. Or call at 216 368-2426 and we’ll try to get back to you. We are very pleased to be partnering this semester with the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program to share information about the discussions.

Best wishes for safety and security for you and yours,

Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies


About Our Guest

A specialist in criminal law whose primary interest is the Fourth Amendment, Lewis Katz was called an “expert in criminal law” by the New York Times. His books and articles have been cited in more than 400 cases and legal articles by numerous courts including the United States Supreme Court. He is the author of The Justice Imperative (1980), Know Your Rights (1993), and Ohio Arrest Search and Seizure (2005), and co-author of six other books: Justice Is the Crime (1972), New York Suppression Manual (1992), Ohio Felony Sentencing Law (2004), Ohio Criminal Justice (2005), Questions & Answers: Criminal Procedures (2003), and Baldwin’s Ohio Practice: Criminal Law (2003). A longtime member of our faculty (since 1966), he teaches both Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure and directs the Graduate Program for Foreign Students in U.S. Legal Studies.

* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

September 16: Russia’s War in Ukraine. With Andrew Barnes, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of the Program in International Relations, School of Multidisciplinary Studies, Kent State University.

September 23: Lake Erie in Bloom, and What to Do About It. With Huichun (Judy) Zhang, Ph.D., Frank H. Neff Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

September 30: Supreme Court Review and Preview. With Jonathan H. Adler, J.D., Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law, and Jonathan L. Entin, J.D., David L. Brennan Professor Emeritus of Law.

October 7: Germany and Ukraine. With Andreas Sobisch, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science, John Carroll University

October 14: More Money for the IRS. With Timothy Fogarty, Ph.D., Andrew D. Braden Professor Department of Accountancy.

October 21: To Be Determined

October 28: Is This the EU’s Moment? With Elliot Posner, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science.

November 4: Midterm Election Forecast (or Guesses) Speakers to Be Determined

November 11: To Be Determined

November 18: The First Energy Scandal and the Challenge of Utility Regulation. With Miranda Leppla, J.D., Director, Environmental Law Clinic, CWRU School of Law.

November 25: Thanksgiving Break

December 2: To Be Determined

December 9: To Be Determined

Visit the Public Affairs Discussion Group Web Site.

Center for Policy Studies | Mather House 111 | 11201 Euclid Avenue |
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7109 | Phone: 216.368.6730 | padg@case.edu |
Part of the: College of Arts and Sciences

© 2022 Case Western Reserve University |
Cleveland, Ohio 44106 | 216.368.2000 | legal notice