CLEVELAND – The Fox 8 I-Team has learned of a multi-million dollar settlement in a civil lawsuit over the death of a woman in Cleveland police custody.
The death of Tanisha Anderson put a spotlight on how Cleveland police interact with people who have mental health issues.
We have learned the settlement includes a payment from the city of Cleveland to the family for more than 2 million dollars, and outlines other changes surrounding police procedures in these types of cases.
Family members says they have come up with a policy on how police should deal with individuals with mental illness and the lawyers say they are recommending that policy to the city.
However, in recent months Cleveland has stepped up training for officers dealing with these situations.
Anderson’s family would also like the officers involved in her death fired.
The city opened an internal review of the officers conduct in Anderson’s death two years ago but no action has been taken yet.
Tanisha Anderson died in police custody in November 2014 when her family wanted her taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.
They say she was handcuffed and slammed to the ground, something police union officials dispute.
The case was first investigated by Cleveland police, then the Cuyahoga Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff’s department gave the investigation to prosecutors in June 2015 to determine if the case should be presented to a grand jury to decide if the officers should face criminal charges.
The case is now in the hands of the state attorney general’s office .
Attorneys Alphonse Gerhardstein, David Malik and Sara Gedeon, who represent the family in the federal civil suit say the delay has been agonizing for Anderson’s loved ones, especially her mother.
