Akron Citizens' Police Oversight Board

The board approved suggestions for the city's new contract with the police union. City officials will enter negotiations with the union soon.

Akron police auditor Anthony Finnell has released the findings of a use-of-force investigation involving Officer Ryan Westlake. He was fired May 6 for ramming a juvenile suspect into his police car while arresting her. Finnell also said it appears supervising officers may have tried to downplay the incident.

The board has been split on whether to vote to adjust its rules, which include the power to conduct parallel investigation into police misconduct while the police conduct their own internal investigation.

At its weekly meetings, the board gets updatesfrom police auditor Phil Young, who has outlined numerous concerns about police department's policies that he says are a barrier to oversight.

The Akron Police's internal investigation is expected to take a couple of months to complete. The board will review the investigation and consider recommending policy changes.

A day after a special grand jury decided the eight officers who fatally shot Jayland Walker should face no criminal charges, protesters walked down East Market Street and heard speeches calling for police reform in Akron.

A Summit County special grand jury has ruled there was not enough credible evidence to charge the any of the officers with a crime.

With 20 days left until Akron's primary, the seven candidates debated at the Akron-Summit County Public Library on April 12, 2023.

Candidates to be the next mayor of Akron took to the stage on Wednesday for the first debate of the campaign. The seven candidates fielded a variety of questions, from policing to pubic safety to education.

Kemp Boyd, director of Love Akron, will serve as the chair of the citizen police oversight board.