Mayor Malik Provides FAQ Document for Proposed Use of Force Policy and Practices Review

Akron, Ohio, Jan. 9, 2025 — This week, Mayor Malik provided more information on his proposed use of force policy and practices review. The city has gathered several frequently asked questions from residents and councilmembers surrounding the proposal and provided responses to these questions. View the full document here and an additional sheet providing an overview of Paul, Weiss and 21 CP Solutions’ experience in this realm.
The FAQ covers why the city is doing this review, what the review will focus on and what the city will get out of it, how the teams were chosen, why the review is expensive to conduct, and more. In total, there are 11 questions in the document.
Mayor Malik: “Over the last several years, we’ve experienced a number of use of force incidents which have caused significant pain in our community, especially in incidents that result in a loss of life. I think we can all agree that these are outcomes we don’t want to see here in Akron. Each time this happens we ask ourselves, ‘What can we do differently in order to change these outcomes?’.
I am putting forward this review as something we can do immediately to address this. We could wait and allow the next incident to occur and the next while we argue whether or not this is the perfect solution. But I strongly believe that we should not wait any longer to take real, actionable steps towards better outcomes. The cost of waiting is too high, both in terms of the financial burden to Akron’s taxpayers but more importantly to those suffering from these incidents, including our officers. Officer morale is low, trust between the community and our police department is fractured, and these incidents are costing the city millions in settlements that we simply cannot afford.
This review is bringing together folks from across the aisle. We have the support of our Police Chief Brian Harding and our FOP Union President Brian Lucey, as well as our Independent Police Auditor Anthony Finnell and the Chair of our Citizen’s Police Oversight Board Kemp Boyd in addition to community leaders and stakeholders. This is no small feat to have folks from all angles of this issue agreeing that this is an important step to take.
I’m urging our councilmembers to fully review our FAQ document, and the work experience provided and to consider that inaction on this matter would truly be a disservice to our residents, our officers, and our city at large. I was elected to lead this city and to change systems where needed and that is exactly what I am proposing with this review.”
What is the proposed review?
The city intends to work with the law firm Paul, Weiss and 21 CP Solutions, a policing consulting organization to facilitate a comprehensive review of the Akron Police Department’s (APD’s) use of force policy and related policies, trainings, accountability systems, and community perceptions of public safety. The team from Paul, Weiss will be led by former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch. The firm will work closely with 21 CP Solutions as a consultant that specializes in helping cities and communities effectively tackle the challenges of delivering safe, effective, just, and constitutional public safety services. The proposed contract is for $640,000 with a possible 20% contingency, so the total cost could be as much as $758,000.
This review will incorporate stakeholder engagement including interviews with APD leadership, the Akron FOP, and focus groups with rank-and-file officers. The engagement will also focus on the Akron community with several in-person community engagement sessions as well as some smaller listening sessions grouped along categories such as: faith-based and interfaith organizations, civic and social justice organizations, government entities, and community and civic engagement groups.
Following the review and engagement, the Paul, Weiss team will produce a set of recommendations for practical steps the City of Akron can take to address any issues that may be identified from the review.
Implementation
Once the Paul, Weiss team provides a list of recommendations to the city, this administration is fully committed to implementing those recommendations. Rule and policy changes can be made by the Mayor and Police Chief. Other implementation steps – like training – would likely require additional funding and buy-in from Akron City Council. If there are changes that require amending the union contract, that would have to be agreed to with the FOP union. While implementation of all recommendations could take time, the city will create a process and timeline for implementation so the community can track progress and hold the city accountable for these changes.
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