Mayor Bibb touts "dramatic strides" in public safety
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Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is a virtual lock to win a second term on Nov. 4.
State of play: In the absence of a competitive race, we sat down with Bibb to take a look back at his first-term record — from safety to housing to economic development to civic reform — and hear what he has planned for the next four years.
- Over the coming weeks, we'll share what he told us.
The big picture: Bibb said that if his tenure were a novel, he'd be right at the halfway mark.
- "We've tackled basic challenges, but also laid a strong foundation for making Cleveland a globally competitive city for the next 20-plus years."
- "We've made dramatic strides, but we have a lot more work to do."
🚨 Flashback: Bibb identified public safety as his top priority on the campaign trail in 2021.
- His victory over former City Council President Kevin Kelley was tied closely to their respective positions on Issue 24 — Bibb for and Kelley against — the charter amendment that created the community police commission.
Zoom in: In 2023, Bibb launched his marquee RISE Initiative (Raising Investment in Safety for Everyone), which invested in personnel and technology like surveillance cameras and ShotSpotter.
- Big pay increases and other incentives juiced police academy numbers after multiple years of dismal officer recruitment and retention.
He cited other accomplishments:
- The launch of the "Northeast Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center" to track weapons used in violent crimes and prevent future gun violence.
- The creation of the Neighborhood Safety Fund at the Cleveland Foundation, using federal stimulus dollars to support organizations on the front lines of violence prevention in Cleveland neighborhoods.
The other side: The early half of Bibb's term was marked by a powder keg Warehouse District shooting and the continual dysfunction of the community police commission.
- The city reached a settlement with the commission's former interim director in August.
The latest: Violent crime in Cleveland and across the country plummeted in 2025. Bibb, who leads the national Democratic Mayors Association, has been on a press tour to attribute this success to grassroots urban strategies.
- "Let's be clear about who is fighting for safer communities — and who is standing in the way," Bibb wrote in an MSNBC op-ed that criticized the Trump administration.
What's next: Bibb told Axios that while the recent crime numbers are encouraging, it will be important in his next term to improve the perception of safety in Cleveland.
- "Stats are one thing," he said, "but we must continue to do the hard work of making Cleveland feel safer."
- He said he wants to give residents confidence that he's deploying an "all of government approach" to public safety.
- That means not just fighting crime with police officers, but fighting blight with the Building and Housing department, installing more streetlights with Public Works, and creating clean and healthy neighborhoods with Public Health.