Clifford Pinkney

Less than a week after Cuyahoga County appointed a temporary replacement for retiring Sheriff Clifford Pinkney, it has appointed a new acting sheriff. Sgt. David G. Schilling, Jr. will take over as acting Cuyahoga County Sheriff, the county executive's office announced late Monday.

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Clifford Pinkney told county council members he had little say in major decisions at the county jail as the inmate population rose, deaths mounted and investigators launched probes into conditions there.

Weeks from retirement, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Clifford Pinkney arrived at a council hearing with his personal attorney and refused to answer almost any questions about the county jail system.

Cuyahoga County Council Tuesday introduced a proposal to change the sheriff from an appointed position back to an elected one. Eight of 11 council members must support the change in order to send it to voters in November. Republican Councilman Mike Gallagher long supported having the county executive appoint the sheriff. But now he wants voters to have that right, just as they did before county government changed from three commissioners to an executive nine years ago. Gallagher says it’s the only way to fix a department that’s in disarray.

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Clifford Pinkney submitted a letter of resignation Friday. County spokseperson Mary Louise Madigan confirmed to ideastream the resignation is effective Aug. 3. Pinkney is resigning for “personal reasons,” she added. “We thank him for his service and the search for his replacement will begin immediately,” Madigan said. A source at the Sheriff's Department cast Pinkney's departure as a retirement rather than a resignation.

Ohio law enforcement officials have formed a new task force to combat human trafficking in Cuyahoga County.At least one investigator for the task force…