Akron is in early talks with the University of Akron’s Department of Criminal Justice Studies about reviewing its police department’s use of force policy.
Akron City Council rejected Mayor Shammas Malik's proposal to hire a national consulting firm last month, citing the $640,000 price tag to work with Paul, Weiss and 21 CP Solutions. Malik argued the cost was necessary to get the most qualified team. Council President Margo Sommerville suggested the Department of Criminal Justice Studies at council's Monday night meeting as a cheaper option.
“About 85 to 95% lower than what has been previously proposed to this body," she said.
David Licate is the chair of the Department of Criminal Justice Studies and has worked with police departments across the country on best policing practices.
“When their administrative practices or training or technology or policies aren’t where they’re supposed to be, then bad things tend to happen," he said, "so our whole mission is building what we call healthy and intelligent organizations, public safety organizations.”
His reviews are typically comprehensive, and that’s what he would do in Akron, he said.
“We would take a broader approach than just the use of force policy," Licate said, "because there are underlying factors that feed into that as well.”
The review would include both objective outcomes and the perception of policing in the city, he said.
“My role as a policing researcher is not to be a cheerleader for the police," Licate said, "but it’s not to be unnecessarily critical.”
The Department of Criminal Justice Studies review would likely cost less than the national consulting firm, Licate said, and his department has a stake in the city.
"We're in it for the long-term. We're not going to come in and do a study or provide some training and be gone," he said. "We can be here in perpetuity, and that's the relationship we're looking at providing with our partners in the city."
Talks between the city and the department are in very early stages, Licate said, and there has not yet been discussion on how the use of force review would work or how much it would cost the city.
