EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio --
Firefighters will begin fighting crime soon in East Cleveland.
East Cleveland's Mayor Eric Brewer said police manpower is strained, so he is trying new things to make the city safer and stay within the budget.
The city does not have enough police officers, so Brewer thinks that the fire department can help.
"They will be firefighters, paramedics, and also serving in a police officers' capacity," Brewer said. "But they'll be working on some of the minor issues -- writing tickets and things of that nature."
So far, three firefighters are ready to start and three others are getting trained.
They'll act as extra officers during their 24-hour shifts and volunteer 16 hours a month to police work.
