Another member of Akron’s police oversight board is resigning.
Mental health nurse practitioner Tristan Reed will leave the board at the end of the month because she is moving to a nearby city, she told board members during Wednesday’s meeting.
The charter requires board members to live in Akron.
“It has been my greatest honor to contribute to this city and to pour into people,” Reed said. “My purpose in life has always been to help people, and to be able to do it on this platform has been very meaningful to me.”
Reed is the second board member to resign this year, after Diane Lewis left in January. City Council confirmed Ericka Burney-Hawkins as Lewis’ replacement in late March.
According to the city’s charter, the mayor's office is responsible for nominating three board members and City Council recommends the other six.
Akron’s previous mayor, Dan Horrigan, nominated Reed in 2023 when the board was first formed, so Mayor Shammas Malik will be tasked with nominating a replacement for her in the coming weeks.
Even though she can no longer serve on the board, Reed said she is still committed to moving the needle on police reform in Akron.
“I will serve in a different way. I am not far. I’m in a very close, neighboring community, but I will just not be in this seat,” Reed said. “I will be sharing a space with many of you and advocating for the changes that I would like to see put forth.”
Reed’s last meeting will be May 29 of this year.
Other board business
The board also unanimously approved a motion to hire an independent attorney to represent it.
The need arose after the board recently asked the city and police department to reconsider a ruling on a use-of-force investigation, board member Bob Gippin said.
There could be a situation down the line, Gippin said, where the city’s lawyers would be asked to give advice to both partie, the board and the police department.
“There simply is, almost literally, a potential conflict of interest,” Gippin said. “For any one lawyer, law firm or law department to provide advice both to us and to the police department and other parts of the city administration, it just, it can’t work.”
Board members also debated whether to move board meetings to once per month, instead of twice per month. The board holds committee meetings every other week.
The board tabled that motion, with several members expressing concern that they are not yet ready to reduce the number of meetings per month.
