Akron City Council will not vote on whether to pay two outside firms to review the Akron Police Department’s use-of-force policies until council reconvenes in 2025. The legislation’s three sponsors announced on Friday that no special meeting will be called next week.
The review as proposed was expected to be funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money — the delay on its potential approval into 2025 may require it to be funded from another source.
Calling for “systemic change,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik has been planning a review of the APD’s policies for months, amid high-profile use-of-force incidents involving police officers and Black residents. In the last scheduled City Council meeting of the year on Monday, the mayor introduced his most concrete plan to date about doing so.
Malik, joined by Council President Margo Sommerville and Council Member Jan Davis, sought City Council’s approval to pay up to $768,000 to New York law firm Paul, Weiss and Chicago policing consultants 21 CP Solutions to conduct a six-month review of the department’s force policy and provide non-binding recommendations.
The Paul, Weiss team would be led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who is now a partner in the firm’s litigation department.
After receiving the legislation earlier that day, City Council’s Public Safety Committee wasn’t ready to vote on it Monday as Malik hoped, with some council members, including Donnie Kammer, questioning the price tag and suggesting potential other uses for the money.
Committee members wanted to wait to take a stance, with the next council meeting scheduled for Jan. 6. Malik stressed urgency, saying he didn’t want to “wait until the new year to get started with this work,” and proposed a special meeting next week to take a vote, which the committee agreed to do.
On Friday morning, Malik, Sommerville and Davis said the special meeting won’t happen.
“We appreciate the robust discussion that City Council and community members have been having since we introduced the use of force policy review,” the trio said in a joint statement. “This is a significant proposal, and we understand there is a need to talk more about the measure. It’s important that we give our community and councilmembers more time to fully consider and understand the proposal and its benefits. We are committed to bringing this before council in the new year.”
ARPA rules required cities to return money “unobligated beyond the December 2024 end-of-year deadline” to the federal government, with the National League of Cities calling New Years Eve “one of the most important for cities, towns and villages.”
Signal Akron asked the mayor’s office if the delay to 2025 necessitates finding a new funding source for the plan, and spokesperson Stephanie Marsh said, “We’re still reviewing funding options at this time and should have more information in the new year.”