Covered by Documenter:
Cassandra Williams (notes)
Anthony Finnell meets with Citizens’ Police Oversight Board members, residents during town hall meeting
The finalist for the independent police auditor position in Akron shared his credentials and fielded questions in front of a few dozen community members at Ellet Community Center Wednesday, Feb. 14.
Documenter Cassandra Williams captured the discussion, which included questions about Finnell’s work history and his ideas for working with the community in Akron.
“One key part of what I need to do is to get out in the community itself to hear from the community,” Finnell said in response to a question. He wants to make sure that concerns from each ward are heard and taken into account. He also wants to “bridge that gap and alleviate concerns” with the Akron Police Department.
Finnell said he wants to come to Akron for several reasons, including the city’s proximity to Indianapolis, where he and his wife currently live, and the opportunity to lead an independent office like this one while working with APD, the city and the CPOB.
“Akron is ripe for this transformation, and I want to be part of that,” he said. “In Akron, I think the people are great and the board has the potential to do great things.”
The position is one of three in the Office of the Independent Police Auditor, which was created as a result of voters adopting Issue 10 in November of 2022. The legislation also created the Citizens’ Police Oversight Board (CPOB), which will oversee the auditor’s office.
The auditor serves as a liaison between the CPOB, the mayor’s office, City Council and the Akron Police Department, according to the job description. The auditor will also provide “external and independent oversight and review of Akron Police Division (APD) policing practices.”
Police auditor candidate brings 30 years of experience, some concerns
Finnell has 30 years of law enforcement experience, both as an officer and auditor, and is the president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE). This organization, according to its website, “works to create a community of support for independent, civilian oversight entities that seek to make their local law enforcement agencies … more transparent, accountable, and responsive to the communities they serve.”
A “concerned citizen” and retired Akron police officer asked Finnell about his past work experience.
“If I Google your name, what I see are some concerns from various agencies you’ve worked for in the past, whether that’s termination or investigation,” she said. ” I want to make sure that we address any potential controversy because we sure don’t need any more controversy.”
“There are things, if you Google my name, you’ll find good and bad,” he said. “But there’s obviously more to the story.”
Finnell spoke at length about past jobs, including an ethics complaint that was filed against him. He said the complainant thought he was being too friendly and lenient toward the police department. The candidate said he tried to look at the facts on all sides. The complaint was later dismissed, he said.
“They [inspector general’s office] were satisfied with my response and I was never disciplined for it, there was never anything done to my record,” said Finnell. He said he resigned and moved back to Indianapolis for personal reasons before a final report came out.
Other highlights from Finnell’s biography include:
- Retired as a sergeant for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
- Served as supervising investigator for the Independent Police Review Authority in Chicago.
- Served as executive director of the Citizens’ Police Review Board in Oakland, Calif.
- Has experience with criminal homicide investigation, community policing, interviewing, problem solving and use of force.
Vote to hire police auditor awaits City Council’s approval of CPOB’s rules
A two-thirds majority of the nine-member CPOB must vote to approve the hiring of Finnell, which won’t happen until Akron City Council approves the board’s rules. The next council meeting is Feb. 26 since they are off for the President’s Day holiday today.
