Nuisance ordinances in Ohio's Cuyahoga County often result in fines for residents who call 911 for incidences of domestic violence and drug overdoses, according to a study from Cleveland State University featured by Cleveland.com.
Researchers studied case records from four Ohio cities — Euclid, Parma, Bedford and Lakewood. They found the cities' criminal activity nuisance ordinances, which are designed to give cities legal footing to address issues with "problematic" residents, were written in a way that considered domestic violence, mental health and drug addiction issues as "nuisances," according to report. This means a resident who makes repeated calls to 911 for domestic violence, for example, could be fined or even evicted, if they are a renter.
Since the time of the study, Euclid and Parma have adjusted their ordinances so that domestic violence incidents can no longer be considered nuisances, according to the report. Bedford and Lakewood have not changed their policies, but the issue is not limited to these cities. The report notes more than 20 communities have similar ordinances in Cuyahoga County.
Read more here.
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