The life and crimes of one of America's most notorious serial killers is dramatized in a new true crime series. Dahmer killed 17 young boys and men before he was arrested. The drama follows Dahmer, his victims and their families as well as the many preventable failures of the American justice system.
This is not the first adaptation or portrayal of Dahmer on-screen and this recent Netflix drama has received significant backlash for the production's failure to approach still- living individuals affected by Dahmer's crimes. Family members of one of Dahmer's victims have spoken out on social media about the show and how it re-traumatizes them.
Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer's neighbor, is one of the lesser-known people brought back to the attention. Cleveland was a key player in the Dahmer case, however, there is very little information regarding her story.
According to USA Today, Cleveland was raised on a farm by his parents who stressed the importance of telling the truth and helping others.
She worked in a data entry position in Milwaukee and lived with her daughter.
Cleveland was not Dahmer's next door neighbor. Dahmer lived next to another black woman named Pamela Bass. She moved to an apartment less than a mile away from the 25th Street apartment after Dahmer's arrest.
According to The Jeffery Dahmer Files, Bass was the one who offered sandwiches. Bass' personality was written into the character of Cleveland in the show.
According to a 2020 interview with Cleveland's niece Nicole Childress, in May of 1991 she and her mother stumbled upon a confused 14-year-old trying to escape Dahmer's apartment building.
Despite pleas from the women, police thought the incident was a lovers' spat. Dahmer was murdered after the police and Dahmer returned to his apartment.
Smith told the Associated Press that Dahmer told them to butt out when they tried to give the police their names. He didn't want our names. I asked what you would do about it. This is a male.
Cleveland wasn't present when her daughter and niece found Sinthasomphone, but she tried to call the police, only to be turned down. Cleveland inquired about the investigation of Dahmer in a phone conversation.
What happened? My daughter and niece watched what was happening. There was nothing done about the situation. Do you have any information from them?
The officer said that it wasn't at all.
Cleveland asked if you don't.
The officer said no. The boyfriend was drunk.
How old was this kid?
The officer said it wasn't a child. The person was an adult.
Are you certain?
The officer said, "Yep."
According to USA Today, after she discovered missing person signs for Konerak Sinthasomphone, Cleveland called the police multiple times but never took her call. Cleveland tried to alert the authorities of Dahmer's crimes.
If police had followed up on Cleveland's suspicions, they would have found out that Dahmer had been convicted of molesting Konerak's brother.
John Balcerzak, Joseph Gabrish, and RichardPorubcan were the officers that responded to the call. The three officers escorted the two back to Dahmer's apartment after he convinced them that they were just having a fight. According to reports at the time, Gabrish noticed a foul order coming from the apartment but thought it was just a burp.
Balcerzak was the one who responded to Cleveland. Balcerzak reassured Cleveland that Sinthasomphone was a legal adult and that the incident was a boyfriend boyfriend thing.
The Washington Post reported that two of the officers, Balcerzak and Gabrish, were fired after the Dahmer arrest. The Post reported that Porubcan was dismissed because he was less responsible for the incident. The report says that Balcerzak and Gabrish were let go due to "acts of omission" that included failure to not take the names of witnesses.
According to the Spokesman-Review, the city of Milwaukee paid $850,000 to the family of Sinthasomphone. The two officers that were fired appealed against their dismissal and were restored to their positions. Balcerzak was elected as president of the Milwaukee Police Association in 2005 after both men were given back pay. Gabrish was an interim police chief in Grafton, Wisconsin for a couple of years.
Five months after Dahmer's arrest, she was given formal honors by the Common Council and the County Board, as well as celebrated by local women's groups and the Milwaukee Police Department.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson told the reporters that the police chose the word of a killer over an innocent woman.
Cleveland just wanted to get back to normal. She had said it many times to the reporters that showed up at her door. Smith's nine children were taken care of by her until she retired.
Cleveland died on December 24, 2010, according to her obituary. It was found to be a natural death due to heart disease and high blood pressure.
Glenda Cleveland'slegacy is still visible.
I would like people to know that Glenda Cleveland was special. The woman was a special one, according to Nash. "To continue on and on in an effort to get someone to do something, she deserved way more than a little plaque in the bottom of a social hall somewhere...And I would want people to know that we all know or have been Glenda Cleveland in this life..." That's correct.
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