CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved changes to the county charter that grant the appointed sheriff greater autonomy from the county executive and impose stricter education requirements for the position.
County residents passed the charter amendment with 75 percent in favor, according to unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
The amendment was placed on the ballot by county council members under the belief that problems at the jail — during a year in which eight inmates died — were in part the result of former Sheriff Cliff Pinkney lacking the power to properly run the facility.
The charter amendment was intended to grant the sheriff greater independence from the county executive, bolster council oversight of the position and strengthen educational and training requirements for future sheriffs.
The amendment was put before voters after it beat out a competing measure that could have returned the sheriff to an elected position, as it was prior to 2010 when voters replaced the commissioner-led county government with a charter form of government.
The charter amendment:
· Creates four-year terms, and staggers a sheriff’s term with that of the county executive.
· Requires council approval of the executive’s sheriff appointment, or reappointment.
· Provides the sheriff explicit authority to make final decisions on Sheriff’s Department staff, including the position of jail director.
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· Requires sheriffs to have a bachelor degree in any field, or an associate degree in law enforcement or criminal justice.
· Requires sheriffs to have five years of experience in law enforcement or correctional facility management.
· Requires sheriffs to have a certificate in jail operations or obtain one within a year. Council, through legislation, could also grant a time extension for acquiring a certificate.
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