Cleveland asks FBI for help in solving city homicides

Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams

CLEVELAND — Cleveland has asked the FBI for help in reducing the number of unsolved homicides.

Police Chief Calvin Williams on Tuesday announced the formation of a homicide review task force that will include FBI agents and Cuyahoga County sheriff’s deputies.

Mayor Frank Jackson last month called the city’s homicide clearance rate of around 50 percent “unacceptable.” There have been 85 homicides in Cleveland this year.

Details about how the task force will operate haven’t been finalized. The head of the Cleveland FBI office says he’ll make agents and crime analysts available.

Williams said the task force will examine homicide cases to determine if there are links to other violent crimes across Cuyahoga County.

Cleveland has commissioned a study to examine how its homicide unit is staffed and detectives engage residents.