Although we wish for the best man, or woman, to become County Sheriff, we believe it is time for Cuyahoga County to see someone other than a White male at the helm of its justice system.
It has been reported that Bob Reid will no longer serve as sheriff of Cuyahoga County, after resigning at the request of Cuyahoga County Executive Ed Fitzgerald.
Reid, the 61 year old former police chief of Bedford Heights, has served in the position since receiving the Democratic appointment in 2009. Former police chief of Warrensville Heights, Frank Bova, will serve in the interim until FitzGerald names a candidate and County Council votes.
In a county with approximately 400,000 Black people, and a very high percentage of them dealing with the justice system in one form or another, we think it is high time we see a Black or other minority as sheriff. There are a number of people, including some in the current sheriff’s administration, acting as wardens and heads of departments who could easily step in.
One such individual, a Black male, is Tri-C’s current Chief of Police and President of Cuyahoga County Police Chief’s Association Clayton Harris. Word has it that his name has been placed in the hat.
We would definitely support a Harris appointment to this position as he’s more than qualified for the job. Harris came in a close at second when Reid won the Democratic nomination.
Harris holds an associate degree in law enforcement from Tri-C, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Ohio University and a master’s degree in business administration from Baldwin-Wallace College. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Department of Justice National FBI Academy. He has completed law enforcement certificate programs from the University of Michigan, The Ohio Highway Patrol Academy, and FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness.
In addition to his extensive formal training, he worked in East Cleveland for 15 years as a firefighter/police officer and created as well as commanded the first SWAT team. He also worked as a police commander in Cleveland where he was instrumental in the creation of the city-wide community policing plan. Suffice to say, Harris has the administrative background to match.
Although we wish for the best man, or woman, to become County Sheriff, we believe it is time for Cuyahoga County to see someone other than a White male at the helm of its justice system.
