Nearly six months after Mayor Shammas Malik introduced his first proposal for a comprehensive review of the Akron Police Department’s use-of-force policy, City Council gave the mayor the go-ahead to seek proposals for the latest version of his plan.
Malik’s initial proposal consisted of a $768,000 review carried out by a New York law firm and a Chicago consulting firm. It was rejected by City Council in February, after the mayor got the price down to $640,000.
Among the reasons City Council rejected the proposal were the cost, the use of out-of-state firms and the lack of collaboration with the University of Akron.
Monday night, council approved the mayor’s ask, 10-3, for the city to spend up to $350,000 on a use-of-force review. The selected consultant, who will be found through a request for proposals process, will be required to include the University of Akron’s Department of Criminal Justice Studies in the plan. The legislation will clear the way for the mayor to make a selection from the proposals.
During Monday’s Public Safety Committee meeting, Malik said the proposals will be made public and available for City Council members to review.
Mayor is too focused on police, council member says
Council members Donnie Kammer, Phil Lombardo and Brad McKitrick voted against the legislation. After the City Council meeting, Kammer, the Ward 7 council member, told Signal Akron he is in favor of a review, despite his vote.
“I do support a police review of our policies, but I think I would take a different approach to it,” he said.
In Monday’s committee meeting, Kammer said he favored an internal policy review or one conducted by Akron’s Citizens’ Police Oversight Board, adding that he does not think the city has the money to support the $350,000 review and he does not want taxpayers to fund it.
McKitrick, the Ward 6 council member, echoed Kammer’s concerns over the city’s financial stability as it heads into conciliation with the police department over its labor contract. The fire department’s contract is almost up as well.
“And I’ve had a tremendous amount of calls from community members, not just in my ward, from all over the city, that they’re concerned about this money being spent and the other issues that we’re dealing with, as far as money, for the city,” McKitrick said.
Kammer also said that Malik, who sat across the room from him in council chambers, has his “foot on the gas pedal with the police department.”
“I do believe that, and this is my opinion, I really think you are too heavily focused on the police department, not so much in favor of the police department, and that’s my opinion, what I’ve seen over the years,” Kammer said.
Kammer mentioned Malik’s involvement with the Reimagining Public Safety initiative while on City Council, the creation of the CPOB (approved by voters in the wake of the Jayland Walker killing) and the ongoing police contract negotiations, which required a fact-finding report “because we have a mayor, and a police department and a police union that’s just not getting along,” he said.
Malik responded: “I think that the issues that I’m talking about predated me serving on this body. Frankly, I think they predated me being on this Earth,” he said.
Council members Margo Sommerville, Linda Omobien, Eric Garrett, Jeff Fusco and Johnnie Hannah spoke in favor of the review Monday afternoon.
Fusco, who spoke against the initial proposal, wants the review to be inclusive of the police union, the officers on the front lines and the community, “and I believe we’re there,” he said.
