Residents joined Akron leaders for a town hall meeting Thursday to give their input into the selection process for a new Akron Police chief and the kind of candidate the city should seek.
The meeting, held at Garfield Community Learning Center, was led by Mayor Shammas Malik, who said he wants to keep the community engaged in the hiring process (the search was announced on Dec. 15). Akron residents were invited to ask questions directly of Malik and a panel of city leaders, including Malik’s new Chief of Strategy Nanette Pitt and Robert DeJournett, who facilitated the discussion and was a co-chair of Malik’s transition team.
“This search for the next chief of the Akron Police Department is a really, really critical decision for our entire community,” Malik said. “It’s really critical when it comes to public safety, which is the highest priority for me and is, I think, a critical priority for all of us in the future of our community.”
Malik shared some priorities for the search, including management experience, an emphasis on community policing, relationship-building with residents, and accountability. He noted that specific qualifications for the next chief are still being finalized with the search firm.
“We’re at the beginning of this process, and we are going to absolutely listen to people,” Malik said. “We’re not going to silence anyone because they’re pro-police or anti-police … we’re listening to everyone’s voices here tonight.”
One of residents’ main concerns was whether the search will prioritize candidates from within the APD. Multiple attendees expressed opposition to a nationwide search, with many noting that they prefer someone who knows Akron not only as a city but as a community.
Residents also expressed their concerns about increasing gun violence in the city, overall safety of residents, quality-of-life issues for immigrants in Akron and community policing.
Akron lawyer Imokhai Okolo wants the next chief to be able to build healthy relationships within Akron’s neighborhoods.
“In this next search, how can we know that someone is going to be more committed or actually going to follow through with really trying to build those relationships, being genuine, and trying to do something to really fix the relationship between the community and the police department?” Okolo asked.
Although Okolo left the meeting feeling hopeful, he said the meeting was only the first step in this process. He is interested in getting Akron community members who don’t have social media access involved in this process as well.
“Being an organizer, I know that getting people to a community event doesn’t look like just posting it on social media, it doesn’t look like just blasting it on your account,” Okolo said. “It looks like knocking on some doors, making some phone calls, sending some text messages, being strategic about trying to get people out and get people involved. I think that’s the piece we’re sort of missing.”
There will be two more town hall meetings conducted for the search in which candidates for the chief position will be present. Those dates are not set yet.
The meeting allotted time for participants to fill out a survey intended to gauge residents’ interests and concerns about the next chief. It includes questions regarding the police department’s priorities (crime prevention, mental illness intervention, training), what qualities the next chief should possess, and personal experiences with the APD. The survey is also available at the city’s community centers.
The survey is available in English, Spanish, Arabic and Nepali. An internal survey within the Akron Police Department will also be conducted.
The City of Akron has contracted with Ralph Anderson & Associates, the firm that also led the search for former Chief of Police Steve Mylett. Mylett was an external hire in 2021 and resigned effective Jan. 1 of this year. Deputy Chief Brian Harding will serve as Acting Chief throughout the search, which is expected to take three to five months.