AKRON, Ohio — The city of Akron will soon have a civilian oversight board.
Akron City Council voted 9-4 to pass the mayor’s proposal for an ordnance to create one.
The 11-member board will have at least one person from each ward.
The board will review complaints against the Akron Police Department and provide input on the department’s policy, trainings and procedures.
The mayor will pick six of the members with council’s consent and council will select the other five.
Beginning Sept. 27, people can apply to be on this board.
This ordinance will also create the office of the inspector general.
“A citizens review board, the time is now. It is important. We want to show that we want to be transparent, we want to be accountable and we see all of the other cities around us having citizens review board because they are under [consent] decrees because the government is telling them they have to,” President of Council Margo Sommerville said during the meeting. “Not in the city of Akron. We are doing this willingly because we know it is the right thing. We know it is the right direction and the time is now.”
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan issued a statement about the vote saying, “I want to thank City Council for carefully considering the proposal and for getting the Citizen Oversight Board established here in Akron,” said Mayor Dan Horrigan. “I look forward to working with our community members as we strengthen police community relations together and I believe this Board will be a catalyst to those better relationships.”
If the charter amendment for the citizen police oversight board passes in November, the charter will ultimately trump the mayor’s ordinance.
