Akron City Council's last regular meeting of 2024 was one of the most crowded of the year. The chambers inside were at full capacity and dozens of protesters chanted outside.
Many people were there to call for justice in the death of 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker, a teenager fatally shot by an Akron police officer on Thanksgiving. Several off-duty police officers attended the meeting to show support for the officer.
After the council meeting, dozens of protesters gathered in the parking lot where council members parked their cars. Some of them appeared to try to block the council members from leaving.
After police gave orders, the protesters gathered on the sidewalk and eventually marched across Downtown Akron.
During the meeting, Akron leaders debated whether to work with national consultants to review the police department’s use-of-force policy.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik has proposed spending $768,000 to work with policing consulting firm Paul, Weiss and 21 CP Solutions to review policies, training and accountability systems, according to legislation introduced to city council Monday.
Leaders and community members have called for a policy review in the wake of several fatal police shootings over the past several years, including Jayland Walker in 2022 and the recent death of Tucker.
The team would be led by former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Malik said.
“I believe the action that we want, and frankly, that we need to see in evaluating our department requires external assistance, requires expertise and focus that will come from third party, independent organizations,” Malik said during council’s public safety committee meeting Monday.
While several other city leaders wrote their support for the announcement in the initial news release, several city council members have expressed hesitancy or opposition.
Calling the plan “well-intentioned but misguided,” At-large Councilmember Eric Garrett wants the city to instead use the cost-free services of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, he wrote in a Monday news release.
“This approach risks wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on external consultants when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) offers a better, cost-free alternative,” Garrett said in the statement.
The DOJ team has assisted other cities in reviewing systemic policing issues, including Cleveland, Garrett wrote.
“Unlike private firms, the DOJ would not impose exorbitant costs, saving Akron millions that could be reinvested into the community,” Garrett added.
“A financial responsibility”
The cost to hire the firm under the mayor’s plan is $640,000 with an additional $128,000 budgeted for “potential contingency,” according to the legislation.
Malik has defended the cost.
“I believe that we have a moral responsibility to do this. We also have a financial responsibility to our community to do this,” Malik said.
The funding will come from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation, deputy director of finance Mike Wheeler said during the public safety committee meeting Monday.
They hope to utilize ARPA dollars that are specifically designated for one-time purchases, he said.
“I think this is a very good use case for that scenario,” Wheeler said.
Akron City Council President Margo Sommerville and Ward 4 Councilmember Jan Davis co-sponsored the legislation.
Sommerville acknowledged the high cost of the expenditure but said it is a necessary expense.
“It is a lot of money, but I see it as an investment,” Sommerville said.
She’d like to see the city hire a public safety director that could oversee the team’s work and implementation of any recommendations, Sommerville added.
Councilmembers Donnie Kammer and Phil Lombardo both expressed concerns about the cost.
Lombardo would like to wait to see if the officers involved in previous shootings are charged with any crimes to determine if the training is necessary, he said.
“Aren’t the guns the problem? Isn’t citizen compliance with the law the problem?” Lombardo asked. “Why wouldn’t we throw money into those issues instead of what we’re doing – pointing the finger at the men and women that put their life on the line every day for our safety?”
Malik defended the cost and said the review is not intended to blame officers – but to help make sure they have the tools they need.
“We have an $800 million budget. We got $145 million in ARPA money. This is an investment that is well worth making, if only for our officers, to make sure that they have the best practices and training and support that they need to do a job that is becoming dramatically harder,” Malik said.
Councilmembers Linda Omobien and Bruce Bolden both spoke in support of the legislation.
“When it comes down to the cost, what’s the cost of a life? Honestly, what’s the cost of life?” Bolden said. “Is it a cost of a young Black man? Is it a cost of a police officer? Is it the cost of that? $768,000 doesn’t seem like that much to me.”
What would the review entail?
Lynch attended the committee meeting virtually and gave more insight into the firm’s plans.
The team is well-experienced in multiple cities, Lynch said.
“Many are also former police chiefs from more than one jurisdiction,” Lynch said. “They've been steeped in community policing, but also the hard work of policing over the years and over many jurisdictions.”
The review would take approximately five to six months, city officials said. One team would review the Akron Police Department’s policies and practices and look for disparate impacts or inequities, Lynch said, while another part of the team would review previous assessments of the department.
The consultants will also work with community partners and the city’s Citizens’ Police Oversight Board, Lynch said. They’ll take part in discussions with community members, as well as the police officers themselves.
“They can tell us what's effective for them and what types of training and tools they feel would be helpful in both enlarging their community engagement footprint, and making sure that the community understands them and they understand community needs,” Lynch added.
Akron Police Chief Brian Harding and police union president Brian Lucey both wrote their support of the mayor’s plan in the news release.
“I welcome robust dialogue and engagement during this review,” Harding wrote. “Our department is always open to improvement and if this review finds area where we can be stronger as a department, we will aim to implement those recommendations.”
Akron’s public safety committee voted 3 to 1 to take additional time to consider the proposal.
While council is scheduled to be on recess for the next two weeks, Sommerville indicated they may hold a special meeting to take a vote on this legislation.
Council member continues to call for officer's termination
During the meeting Monday night, Garrett and Malik clashed over a resolution Garrett plans to propose that would call for the officer who shot Tucker to be fired.
Garrett already requested such legislation but it was somehow shared with the police union, he said. Garrett blamed the law department.
“So that’s why I can’t ask for that today, for Jazmir Tucker’s family," Garrett said. "But I promise you, Madam President, after the first of the year, it’ll be the first thing I do.”
Malik will talk to the city's lawyers, he said, but added that legislation requests are not confidential.
Garrett pulled the legislation from consideration, Malik added.
“There is nothing, nothing, nothing that would stop the councilman from bringing that legislation, but the councilman withdrew it himself, which he did not mention in his comments," Malik said.
Ideastream Public Media reached out to Garrett to ask why he pulled the legislation but has not yet received a response.
Several council members said they would not support such a resolution and said the officer deserves due process.
