Cleveland police and Cuayhoga County officials are launching a new initiative to find missing persons. The initiative comes in the wake of last week's discovery of three women reported missing roughly a decade ago. Police Commander Keith Sulzer says officers and the FBI are teaming up to follow any and all leads.
Sulzer says the missing persons sweeps will target specific neighborhoods three times a year. Officers will canvass the streets with flyers in hopes of finding new leads. County officials have launched a website about unresolved cases and hired two sheriff's deputies to focus on missing person cases. The county is also hiring a liaison to update the website and help local law enforcement agencies exchange case information. In recent years, Cleveland police have overhauled how they handle missing persons and sex crime investigations based on recommendations issued after the remains of 11 women were found at a local home. Residents said police failed to follow up on reports of the disappearances of those women.