Cleveland police Black Shield president clarifies “defund the police” stance after internal backlash

Screenshot of Zoom meeting shows Ian Friedman, Vincent Montague and Roger Smith.

Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association hosted a virtual Hot Talk discussion on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Clockwise from top left: CMBA President Ian Friedman, Black Shield Police Association President Vincent Montague and City of Cleveland Office of Professional Standards Administrator Roger Smith.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The head of the group that represents Black Cleveland police officers wants to make clear that he is not calling for the police department to be defunded.

But he said he’s willing to listen to the community’s calls for police reforms, which includes the so-called “defund the police” movement.

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