CLEVELAND, Ohio - Here is a ranking of the 20 largest cities in Ohio, based on the size of their police departments in terms of officers per 10,000 residents.
Cleveland.com requested police staffing data from the Ohio Attorney General's office as part of its ongoing series: Impact 2016: Where the cuts hurt most. The series examines the impact of state budgeting and tax decisions on Ohio communities.
City officials in some places say changes in state tax laws and cuts in state aid have made it difficult to maintain essential safety services, without raising local taxes or charging new fees.
The state has encouraged the cities to become more efficient.
Cleveland.com calculated the rankings based on full-time officers per 10,000 residents. Of course, this is just one measure, but it turns up some sharp differences. For example, Parma is Ohio's seventh largest city, but ranks 13th for the number of police officers. On a per-capita basis, its ranks 20th for police staffing among the 20 most populated cities.
Ranking Ohio's 20 big cities for police per capita
By Rich Exner
April 27, 2016
Scroll through this slideshow to see a ranking of Ohio's 20 largest cities based on the number of full-time police officers per 10,000 residents.
Cleveland.com used early-April police officer numbers from the Ohio Attorney General, and populations from the 2010 census to calculate the rankings.
(Photo by John Kuntz, cleveland.com; research and illustrations by Rich Exner, cleveland.com)
20. Parma
Parma, Ohio's seventh largest city with 81,601 residents, has 93 full-time police officers. This amounts to 11.4 officers per every 10,000 residents.
19. Kettering
Kettering, Ohio's 13th largest city with 56,163 residents, has 79 full-time police officers. This amounts to 14.1 officers per every 10,000 residents.
18. Cuyahoga Falls
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio's 16th largest city with 49,652 residents, has 70 full-time police officers. This amounts to 14.1 officers per every 10,000 residents.
(Without rounding, the officers per 10,000 residents in Cuyahoga Falls is slightly higher than in Kettering.)
17. Newark
Newark, Ohio's 20th largest city with 47,573 residents, has 68 full-time police officers. This amounts to 14.3 officers per every 10,000 residents.
16. Middletown
Middletown, Ohio's 18th largest city with 48,694 residents, has 70 full-time police officers. This amounts to 14.4 officers per every 10,000 residents.
15. Elyria
Elyria, Ohio's 14th largest city with 54,533 residents, has 82 full-time police officers. This amounts to 15 officers per every 10,000 residents.
14. Lorain
Lorain, Ohio's 10th largest city with 64,097 residents, has 100 full-time police officers. This amounts to 15.6 officers per every 10,000 residents.
13. Mansfield
Mansfield, Ohio's 19th largest city with 47,821 residents, has 79 full-time police officers. This amounts to 16.5 officers per every 10,000 residents.
12. Hamilton
Hamilton, Ohio's 11th largest city with 62,477 residents, has 109 full-time police officers. This amounts to 17.4 officers per every 10,000 residents.
11. Lakewood
Lakewood, Ohio's 15th largest city with 52,131 residents, has 94 full-time police officers. This amounts to 18 officers per every 10,000 residents.
10. Euclid
Euclid, Ohio's 17th largest city with 48,920 residents, has 92 full-time police officers. This amounts to 18.8 officers per every 10,000 residents.
9. Springfield
Springfield, Ohio's 12th largest city with 60,608 residents, has 120 full-time police officers. This amounts to 19.8 officers per every 10,000 residents.
8. Toledo
Toledo, Ohio's fourth largest city with 287,208 residents, has 621 full-time police officers. This amounts to 21.6 officers per every 10,000 residents.
7. Canton
Canton, Ohio's eighth largest city with 73,007 residents, has 162 full-time police officers. This amounts to 22.2 officers per every 10,000 residents.
6. Youngstown
Youngstown, Ohio's ninth largest city with 66,982 residents, has 149 full-time police officers. This amounts to 22.2 officers per every 10,000 residents.
(Without rounding, Youngstown's rate per 10,000 residents is slightly higher than Canton's.)
5. Akron
Akron, Ohio's fifth largest city with 199,110 residents, has 444 full-time police officers. This amounts to 22.3 officers per every 10,000 residents.
4. Dayton
Dayton, Ohio's sixth largest city with 141,527 residents, has 329 full-time police officers. This amounts to 23.2 officers per every 10,000 residents.
3. Columbus
Columbus, Ohio's largest city with 787,033 residents, has 1,850 full-time police officers. This amounts to 23.5 officers per every 10,000 residents.
2. Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio's third largest city with 296,943 residents, has 995 full-time police officers. This amounts to 33.5 officers per every 10,000 residents.
1. Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio's second largest city with 396,815 residents, has 1,479 full-time police officers. This amounts to 37.3 officers per every 10,000 residents.
This is part of Impact 2016: Where the cuts hurt most - a cleveland.com series examining the impact of state budgeting and tax decisions on Ohio communities. The next installment will report on the Parma Police Department, which city officials say is understaffed in part because of cuts in state aid. We also look at staffing at the Ohio Highway Patrol since the administration of Gov. John Kasich began cutting state aid to communities.
(Photo by Maura Zurick, cleveland.com)
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