[h=5]
Cleveland Police[/h]14 hrs ·
A Message from Chief Calvin D. Williams:
Over the course of the last week, we have seen our great city rise to great levels of success. Our Cleveland Cavaliers brought the National Basketball Association Championship trophy to Cleveland and the city rejoiced – and celebrated – as never before.
The night of the Cavs victory is one that most of us will never forget. Although the trophy was won in Oakland, California, CLEVELAND, OHIO was alight with celebration. Thousands of... fans were downtown for the game and the streets were flooded immediately after the win. The drought was ended and Cleveland had a championship. That night, we had crowds, we had excitement, we had people climbing on a fire truck; but we did not have trouble. As was heard over police radio, “They’re not being unruly, they’re just really happy.” Our city came together and had a party.
And then on Wednesday, we really saw what Cleveland is made of. On Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the City of Cleveland held the Cleveland Cavaliers Victory Parade and rally. In a matter of a couple of days, a celebration that reportedly drew over one million people was planned. Again, we saw crowds and excitement but relatively little trouble. And when trouble did arise, our officers were on hand to effectively handle situations.
I want to thank the fans and citizens of our great city for a great turnout at these great events. The interaction between the fans and our officers was amazing and inspiring as we celebrated together. The hugs, the high fives, fans posing for pictures with officers – this is something we will always remember. This is now a part of Cleveland’s history.
I want to thank the men and women of the Cleveland Division of Police, as well as our law enforcement partners, for a job well done. I know that you worked long hours and that you had to be tired, but you did so with professionalism and poise. The feedback from the community relative to officer interaction has all been extremely positive and upbeat. Together, we secured the largest public event in the city’s history, managed more traffic than we’ve ever seen and even reunited 45 lost children with their families. I truly could not be prouder of us all.
