Category: Public Safety

EXECUTIONS of convicted criminals sentenced to die were carried out at the local level in Ohio prior to 1885, when the state legislature moved all executions to the state penitentiary. Between 1812-85, 9 convicted murderers were executed by hanging in Cuyahoga County; the last execution occurred in 1879. The first execution in Cleveland was the only public hanging in the city.

The GLENVILLE SHOOTOUT (23 July 1968) was a gun battle between the CLEVELAND POLICE and an armed black militant group called the Black Nationalists of New Libya, led by

The GREAT FLOOD OF 1913 began on March 21, 1913 when massive wind and ice storms began to hit the Midwest followed by deadly tornadoes. The storms immediately knocked out the power and telephone lines at the Cleveland NWS station. Within five days, the storms had dropped an equivalent of a quarter’s year of rainfall on Ohio, nearly 11 inches.

The GREATER CLEVELAND PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL SOCIETY was founded in 1985 to honor peace officers who have given their lives in the performance of service to their communities and the nation, especially those from the Greater Cleveland area. The GCPOMS was originally established as the Peace Officer Memorial Day Parade Comm. by two members of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Assn. following the death of a fellow officer in 1984.

The GREATER CLEVELAND POISON CONTROL CENTER, which was established in 1957, is the oldest such countywide facility in the U.S. The Center has provided a twenty-four-hour emergency telephone hotline for both health-care professionals and the public, and poison-prevention materials, exhibits, and education programs for community groups.

The GREATER CLEVELAND SAFETY COUNCIL has been a nationally recognized pioneer in the field of safety education and training. Organized in 1919 as the Cleveland Safety Council, it was the 3rd local council chapter established following the creation of the Natl. Safety Council in 1913. The national council, originally formed to encourage industrial safety, soon expanded its programs to include all aspects of accident prevention.

The GUARDIAN ANGELS were an organization of volunteers who patrolled areas of the city in an attempt to deter CRIME. Originally they were organized by Curtis Sliwa in New York City in 1979 as a citizens' group to reduce the high levels of crime in the New York subway system. Wearing distinctive clothing, including red berets, they patrolled streets and subway platforms.

The HARVARD CLUB (1930-41) was one of the largest gambling operations between New York and Chicago during the 1930s. The movable gambling casino, located at various addresses on Harvard Ave. in NEWBURGH HTS., accommodated 500-1,000 gamblers a night from all over the country who came to shoot craps and to play the slot machines, roulette, and all-night poker.

The HOUGH RIOTS, 18-24 July 1966, were a spontaneous outbreak of civil disorder which encompassed a spectrum ranging from angry protest to vandalism, looting, and arson.

The KEFAUVER CRIME COMMISSION held hearings in Cleveland 17-19 Jan. 1951 as part of the U.S. Senate probe into interstate crime. Under the direction of Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee, 20 crime figures were subpoenaed to testify in an effort to establish interstate control of rackets activity.

KINGSBURY RUN is part of a winding, natural watershed carrying creeks and storm water from what is today WARRENSVILLE HTS. and MAPLE HTS. to the CUYAHOGA RIVER. East of E. 79th St., the creek and creek beds are culverted and filled in many places, but from E. 79th St.

KREIGER, RALPH (2 June 1922 - 5 June 1998) was the sheriff of Cuyahoga County from 1969 until 1976. He was the only REPUBLICAN to serve in that position in the twentieth century after FRED KOHLER was voted out of the public office in 1927. Kreiger was born in Massillon, Ohio, and received a degree in business administration from Kent State University.

MATOWITZ, GEORGE J. (24 Apr. 1882 - 28 Nov. 1951) was born in Humenné, Slovakia. His father Karl Matowitz was a cabinet maker. Seeking an opportunity for a better life, Karl brought his family to Cleveland in 1892. The family settled on Woodland Ave. George’s education in Cleveland began in the old Brownell School but he was unable to attend for long.

MATOWITZ, JAMES “JIM” G. (7 Dec. 1887 - 27 Nov. 1954) was the younger brother of Cleveland Police Chief, GEORGE MATOWITZ.

The MAYFIELD RD. MOB, so named because they met frequently in the LITTLE ITALY section of Mayfield Rd., evolved into a powerful local crime syndicate in the 1920s and 1930s through bootlegging and illegal gambling.

POLICE. See CLEVELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT and PUBLIC SAFETY

PUBLIC SAFETY. When Cleveland received its first city charter in 1836, it had only about 6,000 people, and its leaders did not see any great need for elaborate instruments to preserve public safety. In general, Cleveland, like its neighbors Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee, followed the lead of eastern cities such as Philadelphia in matters of governmental structure and services offered.