Euclid Police Department's August data shows weapons incidents and calls for service: A closer look at public safety trends

Officers first answered the call as people shot inside a vehicle at East 260th Street and Shoreview Avenue. By the time they sorted out what happened, they were half a mile away on Shirley Avenue, where 17-year-old Juelyon Bennett of Euclid lay dead and three other males — ages 16, 17, and 19 — were wounded.

Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer said "multiple guns were recovered and dozens of shell casings were found at the scene." As of September 22, no charges had been announced, and police said they were not releasing further details about those involved while the investigation remained active.

Nine days after that September 12 shooting, the department published its August monthly report. The numbers don't include the Shirley Avenue night, but they show the month that led up to it: 27 guns seized, more than double the 13 recovered a year earlier, and 586 total offenses, up 66 from August 2025.

A mixed month, a heavier year

August cut both ways. Total offenses climbed to 586 from 520 a year earlier, but calls for service fell to 3,961 from 4,280 — a drop of 319. Weapons offenses dipped to 17 from 19, while shots-fired incidents ticked up to 13 from 12. Motor vehicle accidents rose to 121 from 112.

The year-to-date picture is heavier: 4,394 offenses through August 2026, compared with 3,738 through August 2025. The department also recorded 30,011 calls for service year-to-date and 992 motor vehicle accidents.

Who answers the call

The August roster lists 103 sworn officers and 21 civilian personnel. The department publishes no target headcount, and a separate job posting describes the force as 100 sworn officers — three fewer than the report's roster.

Those 103 officers are the ones who answer when a shots-fired call comes in on Shirley Avenue, when a crash is reported at East 260th and Shoreview, when a teenager is killed and three others are wounded and the department has to work the scene while the rest of the city keeps calling.

August was a mixed month — weapons offenses and calls for service dipped while total offenses and guns seized climbed — but through eight months, the department has logged 4,394 offenses, 656 more than at the same point last year.