Kasich concerned about protests in Cleveland

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

The governor of Ohio and members of a task force that examined fractured police-community relations said Monday they were concerned about the possibility of violent protests in Cleveland once the verdict is returned for an officer on trial in the fatal shooting of two unarmed citizens.

“We’re all watching this case up here,” Gov. John Kasich said.

Kasich’s remarks came during a meeting to discuss the recommendations of a task force that was formed in December. Kasich issued an executive order last week that will lead to statewide standards on police use of force and the hiring and recruiting of police officers. An advisory board will oversee new rules and will hold police departments accountable for abiding by them.

The police-community relations task force was formed in part because of high-profile police shootings such as the one in Cleveland on Nov. 29, 2012. Thirteen Cleveland police officers fired 137 rounds at a car after a high-speed chase that night, killing Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. One officer, Michael Brelo, was charged criminally because, prosecutors said, he waited until the car had stopped to fire 15 rounds through the windshield at close range.

Closing arguments in Brelo’s trial on voluntary manslaughter charges are today. The judge deciding the case has said he likely won’t deliver his verdict before May 15.