Police monitors making $750/hour: The new charges for taxpayers
CLEVELAND (WJW) — In February, the I-Team took hard questions to the head of the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team, and now we've found out what that group has charged taxpayers to answer those questions.
Records show the lead monitor has billed the City of Cleveland a total of $3,300 for sitting down with the I-Team and other reporters. The bill included 'discussing with City officials regarding the media interviews' and 'preparing and participating in the interviews.'
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Members of the Monitoring Team earn up to $750 an hour oversee reform in the Cleveland Division of Police as a result of a Federal Consent Decree. The group has been doing this job for 10 years, and the lead monitor tells us he does not know when the job will be finished.
Another member of the group also billed a total of $3,200 for the interviews and preparing for them, though she never answered any questions for us on the day of the interviews.
About three weeks later, U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno spoke out about what the I-Team has exposed in the past about taxpayer money going to the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team. For that story, we requested comment and we were told the Monitoring Team could not comment. But an invoice shows Karl Racine and Abby Wilhelm billed the City $900 for dealing with a media inquiry.
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U.S. Federal Judge Solomon Oliver gives the final approval over the bills turned in by the Monitoring Team. Cleveland City Hall has protested some bills in the past, and the city currently has some objections pending with the Court.
When we talked to Karl Racine, the lead monitor, in February, we asked about the billing and what taxpayers are getting for their money.
He responded, 'Making a mountain out of a molehill around issues concerning the cost of the consent decree misses the big picture.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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