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 The agreement, which requires the approval of a federal judge,
would also provide a road map for changes to other departments as
policing across the United States has become a flashpoint for racial
tensions.
"It will define who we are as a people and who we are as a city,"
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson told a news conference.
Authorities made the announcement about strict oversight of the
Cleveland police three days after a judge acquitted a white city
police officer of manslaughter charges in the fatal shooting of an
unarmed black couple in 2012. The couple, Timothy Russell and
Malissa Williams, were in a car and were shot by officer Michael
Brelo after a lengthy chase by police.
Saturday's verdict led to protests, the latest demonstrations over
deaths of black men at the hands of police, most recently in
Baltimore.
 Under the agreement, Cleveland's police department will be tracked
by a monitor either agreed to by the city and Justice Department or
named by a federal judge. A civilian will head the department's
internal affairs division.
U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said the rules issued under a
consent decree build on what is good in the department and aims to
improve policing where it has lagged.
The Justice Department concluded a 21-month investigation in
December that found the Cleveland police engaged in widespread use
of excessive force.
The investigation found incidents of officers shooting civilians in
the head when deadly force was not justified and dealing too
forcefully with the mentally ill.
Less than two weeks before the report was released, a Cleveland
police officer fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who turned out
to be carrying a replica handgun that fires plastic pellets.
Cleveland agreed to training officers in strategies to avoid biased
policing, or the perception of biased actions, and avoid implicit
biases. The city will analyze data on stops, searches and seizures
to eliminate unconstitutional police practices.
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"The essential component, and where the rubber really meets the
road, is the community policing component," Cleveland Police Chief
Calvin Williams said.
The agreement outlines over several pages when and now officers
should use force and requires officers to provide first aid and
obtain medical care after an incident.
Officers normally will not use force against handcuffed or otherwise
restrained persons, or strike their heads with hard objects when
lethal force is unjustified, it said.
It places limits on vehicle pursuits, an apparent response to the
Brelo case. The Justice Department has said its civil rights
division is reviewing testimony and evidence from Brelo's state
trial to determine if federal action would be taken.
Ahead of Tuesday's announcement, more than 200 protesters
demonstrated outside Cleveland City Hall chanting Rice's name along
with Russell's and Williams, and singing the civil rights anthem "We
Shall Overcome."
(Reporting by Julia Edwards in Washington and Kim Palmer in
Cleveland; Editing by G Crosse and Grant McCool)
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