Cleveland Police Shooting

In this file image, a prosecutor points out locations of shell casings in a photo taken after the 137-shot barrage that killed two unarmed people. It involved 62 police cruisers and more than 100 officers, 12 of whom were disciplined on Tuesday.

(John Kuntz/cleveland.com)

The problem started at the top.

The symptom was the 137 bullets fired at the sedan carrying Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams on the night of Nov. 29, 2012, in what amounted to a semi-circular police firing squad.

The underlying ailment was a police department that has historically endorsed hyper-aggressive policing, and leaders who did not enforce reasonable standards of accountability. Too many people routinely looked the other way when confronted with reports of misconduct.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine concluded, shortly after the shooting, that the problem was systemic. He was correct.

Cleveland's dysfunctional policing culture was born of an extremely violent, crime-ridden city where officers often felt, legitimately, under threat. It grew over the past 20 years, through frequent changes in leadership and departmental staffing and strategy.

City officials have noted that to some extent, in matters of officer discipline, their hands are tied by past decisions by labor arbitrators. The only way to change bad precedents is to consistently enforce high standards of performance, starting now.

A Cuyahoga County judge acquitted Michael Brelo, the lone officer accused of criminal misconduct in the shooting. But some form of administrative punishment was necessary. It was meted out Tuesday.

A dozen officers were disciplined. Six, including Brelo, were fired. Six were suspended for the role they played in the chase and the shooting of Russell and Williams, who were unarmed. Generally, they were fired for things like joining the high-speed chase without a supervisor's permission, leaving the city limits without permission, and firing their weapons without ensuring that doing so did not threaten the lives of colleagues or bystanders.

This discipline was necessary, especially given the extent of the overkill. The shootings gave Cleveland a prominent place on the growing list of U.S. cities accused of permitting police misconduct.

And yet, it's hard to avoid the feeling that these 12 officers are serving as scapegoats. The Dirty Dozen publicly punished by the city didn't act alone. The rot started at the top.

None of the 62 officers who reported to duty that November evening started their shift wishing to kill someone. None of the officers who participated in the high-speed, 22-mile chase walked into role call hoping to shoot civilians.

Then the chase began, possibly because the backfire of an engine sounded like a gunshot. Car after car joined the pursuit. Adrenaline was pumping. The suspects drove until they were virtually surrounded in East Cleveland, then turned their car back toward police.

The end was horribly predictable. But it wasn't due to hatred, or to officers wanting to do the wrong thing. It stemmed from a lack of training, a disregard for the rules designed to keep officers and citizens safe, and a culture of indiscipline.

Cleveland police union chief Steve Loomis has vowed to get the fired officers their jobs back. His members pay him to try. Experience says the union will fight relentlessly for each of the fired officers.

Cleveland's police department is currently on the road to reform under the capable command of Chief Calvin Williams, spurred by the oversight of a United States Department of Justice consent decree. The police department is demonstrably becoming more accountable and transparent with each passing week.

Accountability means specific people must be held responsible for specific actions. It has to start somewhere, for city administrators and for labor arbitrators. If not with this case, then when?

But the officers who chased Russell and Williams aren't the only public servants who should be held accountable for this fatal fiasco. Many people throughout the command structure share responsibility, and should share in the consequences.