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Tuesday, June 23rd

Larry Wallace, a former director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, presented a report to the members of Cleveland City Council Monday on his i

Larry Wallace, a former director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, presented a report to the members of Cleveland City Council Monday on his investigation into the organizational structure of the city’s police department. Mix1041.1 and Steve Hartline was there after the presentation for an exclusive interview. Mr. Wallace’s primary recommendations were related to hiring policies, the development of a community strategic safety plan, and a more serious examination of the Cleveland Police Department’s internal chain of command.  Other suggestions he made to the council were related to the implementation of a body and car cameras for every officer and vehicle, the assignment of two detectives to drug investigation, and the purchase of drug and explosive canine units.  He said, “The huge majority of officers in this community want to do their jobs, do it right, and go home to their families.” Councilman Richard Banks echoed Mr. Wallace’s sentiment saying that Cleveland has a problem with leadership, not the police force.  Mr. Banks also congratulated Mr. Wallace on the report and asked if he would be willing to extend his contract as the city begins to implement measures addressing the issues he noted.  A proposal was made to vote on extending Mr. Wallace’s contract in two weeks. Also Monday, the City Council decided on the evaluation they plan to use for Casteel, who is being evaluated for the first time since she took the position of city manager eight years ago. The evaluation they chose allows each council member to rank Casteel on a variety of categories, using a scale of 1 to 5 — 1 being “poor” and 5 being “excellent.” The evaluation rates her professional skills, relationship with the board, policy execution, staffing, fiscal management along with several other categories. The evaluation also provides spaces for council members to write more in-depth responses. The evaluation will take place on July 1. The Cleveland Daily Banner- The Cleveland Kiwanis Club recognized its four Key Club scholarship winners for this year and heard a presentation from Kelly Ohlsson of the new Karis Dental Clinic at a recent luncheon. The scholarship winners include McKenzie Jaynes, Blake Kitterman and Mary Elizabeth Still, all of Walker Valley High School; and Abigail Michaela Gobble of Cleveland High School. The Banner Reports- Cleveland Utilities, an almost 76-year-old municipal staple that has furnished electricity, water and sewer to Cleveland area households and businesses since before most can remember, has been named recipient of the American Public Power Association’s Community Service Award. Presentation of the honor came at APPA’s recent national conference in Minneapolis, Minn. According to an APPA media statement, “This award recognizes ‘good neighbor’ activities that demonstrate the commitment of the utility and its employees to the community.” Also from The Banner- Both the Cleveland Police Department and the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office are rated well above the state average in clearing domestic violence cases.  The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Statistical Analysis Center recently released a three-year study on domestic violence in Tennessee. The report used information compiled via the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System, the database that all Tennessee law enforcement agencies are required to submit their local crime statistics to annually.The study used data compiled from law enforcement agencies between the years 2012-14.