When Tanisha Anderson died in Cleveland police custody in 2014, her family was devastated and motivated for the next decade to ensure what happened to her wouldn’t happen to anyone else.
That goal was realized Monday, as the Anderson family celebrated the passage of a local law named for Tanisha, aimed at overhauling the city’s police response to mental health crises, to thunderous applause at Cleveland City Hall.
“Thank you to Mr. Michael Anderson and family for your advocacy, for your steadfast, your ever-enduring patience, your love of making sure tragedy was turned into something that we can support Clevelanders in love and care,” Council Member Stephanie Howse-Jones said to Anderson’s uncle at Monday’s meeting.
The 37-year-old’s death, which occurred after a 911 call brought police to Anderson’s front door amid a mental health crisis, was one of the incidents that prompted the 2014 Department of Justice investigation of the Cleveland Division of Police and federal consent decree in 2015.
Tanisha’s Law is the latest in a long list of police reform enacted by the city to address problems of excessive use of force found by the DOJ.
The new law seeks to circumvent unnecessary police intervention by diverting nonviolent 911 calls to the new Bureau of Community Crisis Response. It requires the city to hire specially trained dispatchers and licensed social workers who can identify and respond to calls that don’t require a police response, also known as a “care response.”
The ordinance was first proposed in 2024, around the 10-year anniversary of Anderson’s death. Anderson’s uncle, Michael Anderson, worked with students at Case Western Reserve’s law school to develop the ordinance before bringing it to council.
Howse-Jones, who represents Ward 8 on Cleveland’s East Side, stewarded the proposal through council as it was vetted, even facing opposition from Mayor Justin Bibb’s office.
Howse-Jones’s colleagues commended her for the yearslong effort to get the line across the finish line. Those included Council Member Brian Kazy, who has a daughter with a developmental disability.
“I sympathize immensely with the Anderson family,” Kazy said, putting his family in the same scenario before turning to Howse-Jones. “When you’re done with your time in public service, look back and say, ‘Hey, this is one of my greatest accomplishments.’ Congratulations.”
Bibb’s proposed budget for 2026 includes a deputy commissioner of Emergency Medical Services position to oversee the new office, but it’s unclear how much of the $3 million added into EMS’s budget for this year would go toward crisis response.