I would like to personally express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the 16-year-old boy who was tragically and senselessly taken from them this week. When a child is lost, the loss is felt deeply by the entire community. I feel your pain, your anger and your frustration- and I wouldn’t expect anything less from a community that cares so deeply about our children. Though the perpetrator of this gun crime has been arrested, that is not where our work ends. The safety of our residents remains a top priority for me, my staff, our safety forces, and our schools. We are all committed to continue working for a safe community.

Tragedies like the one our community experienced this week are preventable. We’re working hard to combat these types of violent crimes with initiatives like Euclid’s gun interdiction details, special attention details, increased staffing, innovative training programs like jiu-jitsu training, equipment upgrades such as body-worn cameras, flock cameras, vehicle upgrades, and regular check-ins between City Hall and our front-line officers to assess their status and provide support when needed.

We also know that violent crimes can’t be prevented through safety forces alone, so we’re working on a few important safety initiatives that will get to the root of the problem and help prevent perpetrators from committing their first crime. These include the addition of a Community Recreation and Wellness Center that will offer programming aimed to keep kids off the streets after school, Euclid Community Connections which will supply our safety forces with co-responders to make sure families in need get

the services that they need to be successful, and the implementation of Violence Reduction Strategies through grassroots organizations such as the Euclid Hope Task Force.

We are seeing success through our current safety initiatives. We are seeing a record number of guns being removed from our streets, and we are seeing a sizable reduction in violent crimes citywide- but losses like the one we suffered with this young man this week remind me that we still have much work left to do. I encourage our Euclid residents to stand together for our community. If you see something, say something. Report any and all threats or suspicious activity to EPD immediately. Attend community meetings to voice concerns about things happening in your neighborhood. Register your Ring or other surveillance camera systems with the Euclid PD. Invite me, your City Council Rep, and a police department rep to meet with you and your neighbors.

In addition, we’ve worked closely with the EPD, community leaders and residents to foster positive relationships between law enforcement and the community. This has included our highly attended PAL programs, citizens police academy, community policing initiatives, and increased transparency and accountability measures to build trust, promote mutual respect, and improve safety.

Let’s work together to keep Euclid a safe place to live, and prevent more senseless tragedies like the one we suffered this week.

Proud to Serve,

Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail