As the city waits to hear whether Mayor Shammas Malik appoints Acting Chief Brian Harding as the next permanent chief of the Akron Police Department, the applications of the two finalists, Harding and Deputy Chief Jesse Lesser, provide a glimpse into each candidate’s perception of their qualifications.
Signal Akron submitted a public records request to the city for “all application materials submitted by people who have applied for the role of Chief of Police” since Malik began the search for Steve Mylett’s replacement. Harding was named acting chief when Malik was sworn in on Jan 1. The city responded to Signal Akron’s records request with only the application materials submitted by Harding and Leeser.
Malik contracted with Ralph Andersen & Associates to run the police chief search, which sought candidates from around the country before Malik said his law department discovered a state law they interpreted as precluding him from hiring candidates from outside the department.
Since the application for outside candidates was open for several months, it is likely that other people applied for the job, but those candidates applied to the search firm, which did not pass the materials along to Malik. Because the city only included Harding’s and Leeser’s applications in response to Signal Akron’s public records request, it’s likely those were the only two candidates the search firm provided to Malik during the entire process.
Harding: ‘I am a visionary leader with a proven record…’
Harding’s application is much more lengthy than his competitor’s was for the top cop job. His cover letter, at nearly 600 words, is more than three and a half times longer than Leeser’s, at 167 words. Harding’s resume, at 1,040 words, is more than six times the length of Leeser’s, which sits at 169.
In his cover letter, Harding makes a case for why he should be considered for the chief position.
“Dedication, service to others, and integrity are words used to describe me as a person and as a law enforcement leader,” he wrote on Feb. 29. “I possess a strong set of morals that have guided me in both my professional and personal life. I am a visionary leader with a proven record of operational excellence, executive development, hiring, recruitment, budgeting and team building skills.”
His greatest strength, he wrote, is his “ability to foster relationships and collaborate with elected officials, community partners, supervisors, and coworkers to enhance the quality of life for those we serve. You will find that I am committed to engaging stakeholders, building coalitions, creating shared visions, and leading police operations through transparency and ethical values.”
During his time as acting chief, Harding wrote that he focused on building community relationships, reducing gun violence, and recruiting and retention.
Leeser says he has ‘extensive knowledge of Akron’
Leeser, in his cover letter, emphasized his many years as deputy chief in the department and said that he meets or exceeds “the values and abilities needed” to be chief. His self-described highlights include:
• 29 years’ experience leading the Akron Police Dpt.
Patrol Commander
Internal Affairs
Combined Communications Center Director
Investigative Sub-division Commander
Uniform Sub-division Commander
• Value driven, commitment to integrity, transparency, and compassion.
• I have been a senior leader in all sub-divisions within the police dept.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• A passion learning and improving my skills. .
• Born and raised in Akron where I have dedicated my life to service in the community.
• Extensive knowledge of Akron and surrounding communities.
(Editor’s note: All quotes from application materials are unedited.)
The search firm, when it forwarded the two applications to Malik, gathered and attached news stories mentioning each of the two candidates. In Harding’s file, the firm also attached the complaint from the lawsuit filed by the family of Jayland Walker, who was killed by Akron police officers in 2022. In Leeser’s file, the firm included the complaint from the lawsuit filed by people who said they were wrongly arrested during protests in the aftermath of Walker’s killing.
No announcement as path forward on chief’s job remains unclear
Despite calls from Black leaders for Malik to pause the police chief search until after a ballot measure could add language in the city charter explicitly allowing external candidates to be considered, Malik remained steadfast in his plan to quickly hire internally.
Because Malik believes leadership positions in the APD can be filled only through promotion from the rank below, and because both Harding and Leeser applied, Malik only considered those two white men.
Before the first of two scheduled town halls intended for both of the finalists, Malik announced that only Harding was in the running for the chief job. Leeser, Malik would tell the first town hall audience, wasn’t willing to publicly engage with Akron residents.
“In terms of the other deputy chief, he came in for an interview, and I felt coming out of that interview that I did not feel comfortable moving forward with him in the process. … There was a hesitation to engage in the public aspects of the process. We’ve been communicative the entire time of that being a part of the process.”
It’s been more than two weeks since the April 20 and 23 town halls with Harding, but Malik has not announced when or if he will be officially appointing him to the role or if he’ll wait until a November ballot initiative. Malik says he will pursue the change to the city’s charter, which must be approved by voters, even if he goes ahead and appoints Harding.
Malik’s spokesperson, Stephanie Marsh, told Signal Akron there is no timeline yet for an official announcement.
See a discrepancy in Harding or Leeser’s cover letters or resumes (below)? Contact doug@signalakron.org.
