Akron Mayor Shammas Malik reaffirmed support for Police Chief Brian Harding amidst community calls for his resignation while spotlighting significant strides in violent crime reduction. In a press conference outlined by Cleveland19, Mayor Malik called the calls for resignation "misplaced" and stated that he plans to meet with community leaders to discuss their concerns and expectations. Additionally, Mayor Malik announced a settlement in the Jayland Walker shooting, with more details to be made available soon.
The city has seen a notable decrease in crime this year, with 33% fewer shootings and shots-fired calls and a 38% reduction in shootings into habitations. There have been 20 murders last year in comparison to 15 this year, marking a 25% decrease, and the overall solve rate for homicides stands at about 66%. Mayor Malik urged the public to remain engaged, especially concerning the unresolved mass shooting from June, asking anyone with information to "please come forward" as mentioned by Chief Harding in a statement obtained by WKYC.
Amid pressing safety issues, the mayor has signaled to prioritize a review and potential amendment of the city's use of force policy following incidents that have sharply divided the police and the community. Recent calls for Chief Harding's resignation over these incidents were also addressed, with Malik expressing his stance firmly supporting Harding, as reported by FOX8 News. "I think those are misplaced, he has my full support to help us accomplish the change that people are demanding," Malik said.
Further highlighting efforts in police reform, Chief Harding indicated the department is continuously working to improve with additional use-of-force and de-escalation training for officers. This comes after scrutiny of the police department's handling of incidents such as the case involving Dierra Fields, where the use of force was deemed within policy by the APD's Office of Professional Standards and Accountability. Nevertheless, echoing the community's sentiments, Mayor Malik told WKYC, "we need to do a comprehensive policy review into our use-of-force policy." This move aims to reconcile the high stakes of policing with a community-oriented approach.
