Amid fallout from several high-profile use-of-force incidents by Akron police officers, the mayor’s office and police department leadership announced a new officer training initiative last month as well as tentative plans to engage in community “discussions” to potentially update the department’s use-of-force policy, which permits force in most circumstances if it appeared “reasonable” to an officer in the moment.
“We need systemic changes to our policing system to improve policy, practices, training and culture to ensure that we do everything we can to avoid tragic incidents,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said at an Oct. 21 press conference.
The city’s use-of-force policies were addressed at the event after the mayor shared details about an Akron school resource officer who punched a Firestone Community Learning Center student in the head multiple times several days prior.
It was the second press conference in five days responding to force incidents involving Akron police officers and Black residents. On Oct. 16, Malik publicly addressed the Dierra Fields incident for the first time – the mayor backed Police Chief Brian Harding’s determination that the officer who bodyslammed and arrested the woman in January did nothing wrong. He also announced a $4.85 million settlement of the lawsuit filed by the family of Jayland Walker, who was killed by Akron officers in 2022.
Among other force incidents this year, APD officers shot and killed a man suspected of not returning a rented U-Haul truck on time in August and shot and wounded a 15-year-old carrying a fake gun in April. On Thanksgiving Day, an Akron police officer shot and killed 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker, who police said was carrying a firearm in Sherbondy Hill.
According to APD statistics, 269 force incidents were reported between January and October 2024, compared to 195 during the same period last year – a 38% increase. Between January and September 2024, 33 complaints about use of force were filed compared to 24 for the same period last year – an increase of 37.5%.
In Harding’s September response to Independent Police Auditor Anthony Finnell, when he announced his rejections of Finnell’s criticisms of the officers involved in the Fields case, the chief ended his letter by stating the APD “is committed to de-escalation and use of force training.”
Harding said the department will implement a training program from Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) called Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics (ICAT). It seeks to address situations where a person is “behaving erratically” or dangerously, the person may have mental health or substance abuse issues, and the person doesn’t have a gun. The company claims it reduces use of force and injuries to both officers and civilians.
While PERF has a training facility in Decatur, Illinois, the mayor’s spokesperson, Stephanie Marsh, said that its ICAT trainers came to Akron on Oct. 15 and 16 and trained 22 members of the APD on the program. Those 22 people will train other officers as part of the department’s annual in-service training in late January or February, she said.
The ICAT training program consists of seven “modules” taught over a day and a half, emphasizing a “critical decision-making model,” “crisis recognition,” “tactical communications”, responding to “suicide by cop” scenarios, “operational tactics,” and “preventing problems before they occur.”
“This will provide our first responders with the tools, skills, and options they need to diffuse a range of critical incidents successfully and safely,” Harding said at the Oct. 16 press conference.
At his Oct. 21 press conference, Malik said his administration “reached out” to the U.S. Department of Justice for “early conversations” about a use-of-force review similar to what the DOJ did with the Columbus Division of Police.
Marsh told Signal Akron on Nov. 13 that, “at this time, we are not requesting their formal involvement and are focused on our comprehensive policy review.”
While Malik agreed with Harding that Officer Thomas Shoemaker didn’t violate any department policies when he body slammed and arrested Dierra Fields, the mayor pledged to review the policy and, alongside the independent police auditor’s office and department leadership, “have a real discussion on this as a community about what we want to see from our officers.”
Malik’s office has not yet released specific details about the use-of-force policy review.