Akron Mayor Shammas Malik is seeking City Council’s approval to pay Deputy Police Chief Jesse Leeser to leave the Akron Police Department.
Malik submitted legislation on Monday morning seeking $400,000 for a “Voluntary Separation Payment for Police Deputy Chief.” While not yet identified by name in documents — the mayor’s office will issue a press release later today — Signal Akron confirmed it is about Leeser. With Brian Harding’s promotion to police chief, Leeser is the only deputy chief currently with the APD.
Documents Malik submitted to City Council indicated the legislation is “offering voluntary separation Payments in order to provide an immediate means for effectuating change and providing an opportunity for promotion within the Akron Police Department.”
Leeser applied to be police chief earlier this year. Malik originally sought candidates from around the country before, controversially, his law department said a little-known state law required him to hire the police chief from an internal promotion.
Because both Harding and Leeser applied — both deputy chiefs, the rank below chief — Malik believed he was legally allowed to only consider the two internal candidates for the top job. On April 17, Malik announced that he had trimmed the candidate list to only Harding.
Days later, at a town hall with Harding, Malik, without saying Leeser’s name, criticized the deputy chief who now appears on his way out. Malik said he was frustrated with Leeser.
“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 this process,” Malik said. “He also shared a hesitation to participate in the public aspects of the process, which is frustrating because this is part of the process, I’ve been very clear this is part of the process. So, in that respect, you can say that it was mutual, but it was clear to me walking out of that interview last Friday that that was not an individual I was going to move forward with.”
Malik then said Leeser didn’t want to engage with the public.
“There was a hesitation to engage in the public aspects of the process,” Malik said. “We’ve been communicative the entire time of that being a part of the process. I also want to be really clear, I said coming out of the interviews last Friday that I felt comfortable moving forward with one of the candidates. I have a responsibility not to present candidates to the public at a public forum whom I know I would not select to hire in this role. I think everybody would understand that. That would be a farce.”
The documents submitted by Malik to City Council on Monday state the $400,000 separation agreement “can bring about significant long-term benefits for both the Akron Police Department and the community it serves while also providing a benefit to the officers who voluntarily elect to take them.”
The $400,000 is a “fair compensation package (that) can improve morale and job satisfaction.”
The mayor’s office will address the legislation during City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. today. City Council could vote on the resolution as early as this evening.
City Council meetings, along with committee meetings, can be viewed on council’s YouTube streaming page.
