This is Bolden’s second meeting since being elected to fill the vacant seat on council. Main topic of the meeting - Akron Police Department Use of Force policy discussion. Here’s the agenda for the meeting.

Bolden started with a correction to a statement he made that council would need to approve the settlement being paid to Jayland Walker’s family, which he says is not true. His full statement is posted online here (scroll almost to the bottom): ward8akron.com

Bolden shared some general Ward 8 updates. He said that Stan Hywet is asking permission from the city to use the church property at Monmouth and Margate Drives for office spaces. Because of zoning rules, they cannot construct offices at their current property, he said.

Ward 8 leaf pickup is Nov. 25. Full schedule here: akronohio.gov/departments/se… Lock 3 re-opening and Welcome Santa Parade is Nov. 29. akronohio.gov/departments/lo…

Councilman At-Large and Vice President Jeff Fusco was in attendance, along with Public Safety Strategist for the city, Tony Ingram.

Bolden invited Community Engagement Officer Aaron Brown to speak next. He reported that a recent shooting incident on Hawkins Ave on Nov. 5 involved two brothers and another person, it was not a random shooting. Here is a snapshot of crimes in the city over the last few years.

With auto theft being the most frequent crime, Brown reminded everyone to take valuables out of their cars and lock the doors. According to the crime report, there have been 828 auto thefts this year with the number going down each year since 2022.

Next, Bolden introduced Capt. Chris Brown to discuss APD’s Use of Force policy after the death of Jayland Walker and the incident at Firestone High School involving a student and an officer. He said he wants guests to learn and withhold judgment.

They also discussed the Citizen’s Oversight Board (more on this later). Capt. Brown said he’s been an officer for about 35 yrs. He said APD gets about 400 calls for service a day (~140,000 per yr) & in 2024 there have been 243 use of force cases investigated (0.2% of calls).

Each instance of use of force (meaning an officer takes a suspect to the ground) gets investigated by APD, according to Capt. Brown. Cases are reviewed by multiple staff like supervisors and captains. More below: akronohio.gov/departments/po… cms2.revize.com/revize/akronoh…

Capt. Brown said each officer must determine if there is a perceived threat based on the severity of the crime, if the subject is resisting arrest, and if there is a threat of harm to the public/ the officer.

One resident asked about situations where someone may be in a mental health crisis. Capt. Brown said there are officers who are Crisis Intervention Trained to handle these cases. Some officers are also paired with mental health professionals that respond with them to calls.

Capt. Brown invited attendees to go on a police ride-along or join the Akron Police Citizen’s Academy. This is an eight week course with hands on, interactive training. Here’s more info: cms2.revize.com/revize/akronoh…

APD is about 30 officers short of being fully staffed and there will be an influx of retirements in the next two years, said Capt. Brown.

Next Robert Gippin from the Citizen’s Police Oversight Board spoke. The board started in 2022 after a passing vote on Issue 10 from Akron residents. The board reviews complaints against APD but it can only review once an investigation is complete by APD. akronohio.gov/government/boa…

Gippin said the city administration is reviewing the use of force policy and citizens can make a complaint through the board. Gippin said, “…Our role is to provide another set of eyes and another voice to hopefully assist the overall process and make it better.”

One resident asked what Gippin would like to see in a revised policy. He said a greater focus on de-escalation and “not using more force than is reasonable under the circumstances..” He said he applauds officers who are making decisions in life or death situations.

To conclude the meeting, Bolden said he will discuss the city’s 2025 budget at the next meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 6pm (same location).

Have questions? Think we got something wrong? Send any questions on the meeting or these tweets to @signalakron. Or email us at documenters@signalakron.org. For more meeting coverage, check out . akron.documenters.org

Have questions? Think we got something wrong? Send any questions on the meeting or these tweets to @signalakron. Or email us at documenters@signalakron.org. For more meeting coverage, check out . akron.documenters.org