The nominee to be Akron’s new police auditor says it is best practice for civilian oversight boards to investigate complaints at the same time as the police department's internal affairs unit.
Akron's Citizens' Police Oversight Board unsuccessfully sought for that authority for almost a year.
“I’m a proponent of having a full investigative review, an independent review, for the sole purpose of – if you’re looking at the evidence and you’re assessing the evidence, it’s going to lead you to the findings," Anthony Finnell said in a townhall forum Wednesday night.
CPOB members initially sought to investigate complaints at the same time as the Office of Professional Standards and Accountability, but Akron City Council members disagreed and rejected the board's initial draft of its rules last year.
The board's new proposed rules give it the power to conduct investigations after the OPSA investigation is completed. City council delayed taking a vote on the new rules on Monday and will reconsider them in two weeks.
Finnell, who would handle investigations if hired as auditor, conducted simultaneous investigations at a previous job, he said.
If the oversight board and internal affairs unit disagreed on findings of their investigations, they would meet and take a look at discrepancies, he said. They usually disagreed on the appropriate discipline, rather than the actual allegations in the complaint, Finnell added.
Akron's CPOB has no disciplinary authority.
Board members still want the authority to investigate at the same time as police, but they are hoping to secure that power later in 2024 when the city renegotiates its contract with Akron's police union.
Finnell is eager to help improve police and community relations in Akron, he said.
“Akron is ripe for this transformation, and I want to be a part of that,” Finnell said. “This region is one that can make that shift.”
Most board members have already voted to hire him, but two of them – Chair Kemp Boyd and member Caitlyn Castle – wanted to take a vote after getting citizen input.
“He has a stellar background. He is impressive. He knows his way around boards, he knows his way around police systems, and he knows his way around auditors,” Vice Chair Donzella Anuszkiewicz said.
Finnell first worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and then spent 23 years at the Indianapolis Police Department. While on the force, he investigated fellow officers who had committed crimes while off-duty, he said.
He later worked in internal affairs investigative units in Oakland, Chicago and Seattle, he said.
Finnell is currently the president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. His experience with NACOLE is part of the reason he’d like to serve as auditor, he added, because he can provide the board with resources.
"There's mass resources from across the country that I think Akron could benefit from, and other people that have walked this path before so that board members don't have to hit the same roadblocks," Finnell said.
About 35 people attended the meeting at Ellet Community Learning Center, and several individuals asked questions.
Finnell talked about his previous experience as well as his goals for the auditor position.
Finnell also addressed a question about controversies in his previous jobs. He was terminated from his job in Oakland.
The police commission fired him because he refused to give them full access to documents from police investigations, which is prohibited by law, he said.
“I can live with that, because to this day, they still don't have access, because that is the law," Finnell said.
The CPOB plans to vote to finalize Finnell’s contract in the coming weeks.
The board may not be able to hire Finnell until its rules are approved, CPOB member Bob Gippin said.
