After two months of debate, Akron City Council rejected a proposal to hire a national firm to review the police department’s use-of-force policy.
Council voted 9 to 4 to issue an adverse report on the legislation, voting it down Monday evening.
The legislation proposed spending $640,000 to work with consulting firm Paul, Weiss and 21 CP Solutions to review policies, training and accountability systems.
“This is an issue, use-of-force, that is the most significant issue facing our city. It is a matter of life and death when our officers respond to a call that can turn deadly,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said ahead of a committee vote earlier in the day.
While several city council members and Police Chief Brian Harding voiced support for the plan, other council members had concerns about the price.
Malik argued that the price tag was necessary to get the most qualified team for the review.
“I think Akron deserves the best. I think it doesn’t deserve second, or third, or fourth best, so I’m not prepared to compromise on that," Malik told Ideastream Public Media after the vote. "Ultimately, I think this is something that we as a community need to demand better.”
Malik's next steps, he said, are to educate community members about council’s decision and what they can do to demand future reform.
“Letting community members know that this is what your council has chosen to do, or rather chosen not to do," Malik said. "Frankly, I think I have a pretty good pulse on where the community is, and I think that it’s something that we want people to let their council members know that this is something they want to be a priority.”
Leaders and community members have called for a policy review in the wake of several fatal police shootings over the past several years, including the fatal police shootings of 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker in November and 25-year-old Jayland Walker in 2022.
Council President Margo Sommerville, who initially co-sponsored the legislation, said she changed her mind after talking with constituents about the price.
“I need my name to be removed from the sponsor of this piece because my community has real concerns,” Sommerville said ahead of the vote Monday.
Councilmember Jeff Fusco said the city needs to be careful with its spending given President Trump’s recent executive orders and proposed funding cuts to federal agencies, which are expected to trickle down and affect city services.
“It’s going to fall to us, the locals,” Fusco said.
Some council members suggested requesting bids from state or local groups to do the review.
“I keep hearing folks within the city talking about … ‘money’s going to be tight,’” Councilmember Brad McKitrick added. “I’m just extremely concerned after I continually hear from constituents, not just in my ward … they are concerned about this kind of money.”
While At-large Councilmember Eric Garrett was previously opposed to the cost of the plan, Garrett changed his mind after having conversations with his constituents over the past few weeks, he said.
“’[You] would spend $700,000 for trees to be cut down or planted, but you won’t support an opportunity to help our poor white, Black and brown community with an issue that they have?’” Garrett said, recalling someone’s comment to him. “And that laid on me, and it has laid on me.”
Several council members, including Fusco, said they would welcome a different approach to the policy review.
“We all want our city to be safe, we all want to review the use of force, it’s just how we get there, mayor, it’s just how we get there,” Fusco said. “Right now, we just probably can’t agree on this piece here.”
Ultimately, Councilmembers Sommerville, Fusco, McKitrick, Phil Lombardo, Johnnie Hannah, Donnie Kammer, Sharon Connor, Bruce Bolden and Sam DeShazior opposed the plan and voted for the adverse report. Councilmembers Garrett, Tina Boyes, Jan Davis and Linda Omobien voted against the adverse report.
The proposed review would have taken approximately five to six months, city officials said. One team would have reviewed the Akron Police Department’s policies and practices and looked for disparate impacts or inequities while another would have reviewed previous assessments of the department.
The consultants would have worked with community partners and the Akron's Citizens’ Police Oversight Board to conduct six feedback sessions with community members, as well as the police officers themselves, officials said.
Malik added that he has plenty of other public safety initiatives to work on in the future.
Residents can give input on a different policy review Tuesday.
Members of Malik's administration will gather feedback about the police department’s crowd control policy at Garfield Community Learning Center at 5 p.m.
