Demographics
The median income for a household in the city was $20,542, and the median income for a family was $26,053. Males had a median income of $26,123 versus $21,960 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,602. About 28.0% of families and 32.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.5% of those under age 18 and 22.5% of those age 65 or over.
Crime
On January 1, 2006, the police department had 28 employees. Street drug dealers had taken control of several city blocks, and police officers were responding to high priority calls only. Within six months, Mayor Brewer requested assistance from Cuyahoga County Sheriff Gerald McFaul who responded with eight deputies who patrolled six days a week. He later replaced Chief of Police Patricia Lane with Lieutenant Ralph Spots.
With a new police chief in place, Brewer authorized the hiring of 28 full and part-time police, jail, dispatch and administrative personnel. Eight new police cars, 40 caliber handguns and vests were purchased.
Under Spotts, crime in the city has been reduced by as much as 50 - 90%. East Cleveland Fire Department statistics show that EMS calls involving gunshot wounds, for example, dropped from an average of 55 in 2006 and 2007 to just 14 in 2008. The number of shots being fired has dropped by 90%. Statistics show that the number one crime in East Cleveland today is domestic violence. The second highest crime category involves professional scrappers who have been vandalizing vacant properties and removing copper.
