AKRON, Ohio — Voters in Akron have passed Issue 10, which creates a permanent police oversight board.
The measure passed with 62% of the vote.
Issue 10 was created after outrage over the deadly police shooting of Jayland Walker this summer. Community members gathered thousands of signatures needed to get it on the ballot.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan released the following statement on the passage:
“Akron’s voters have made their voices heard and it’s clear they want a more permanent citizen police oversight board than what was recently established by Akron City Council. I respect the will of the voters and support the creation of the Citizens’ Police Oversight Board. The City’s Law Department will now take the next steps to determine the best path forward for the creation of the newly passed Board. For the nearly 60 applicants who have already applied to be on the Citizen Oversight Board, which was passed by Council in September, we will keep those applications on file as we decide the course of action necessary to implement the will of the voters. Issue 10 dictates that Akron City Council must pass any required legislation by June 30, 2023 in order to create and implement the Board, and we aim to meet that deadline. We may have chosen different paths to get here, but as long as we're unified in moving forward, I believe the formation of this Board can and will make Akron stronger.”
RELATED: Akron voters weigh in on Issue 10, creating a permanent police oversight board
Issue 10 was created after outrage over the deadly police shooting of Jayland Walker this summer. Community members gathered thousands of signatures needed to get it on the ballot.
RELATED: View continuing coverage related to Jayland Walker here
In response to the passing of Issue 10, Walker's family issued this statement:
"The family of Jayland Walker is overjoyed and humbled by the passage of Issue 10 (Jayland’s Law) by their Akron community. Since the 1960s, Akron residents have asked their city leaders for citizen oversight of their police department. Until last night, those requests had been denied. The passage of Issue 10 allows Akron to join a growing number of cities that have turned to citizen oversight panels and independent police auditors to review incidents of police misconduct. Jayland’s family is proud to belong to the Akron community, a place where Americans used the democratic process to enact meaningful reform in honor of Jayland’s life and others who have lost their lives to police violence. Today is a day for optimism, though there is much work ahead. This is not the end of our effort to hold the city accountable for Jayland’s death. It’s just the beginning. And still, today Jayland’s family celebrates the fact that meaningful change came to Akron."
The Akron Fraternal Order of Police issued the following statement about the passage of Issue 10:
"The Fraternal Order of Police, Akron Lodge 7 acknowledges the passage of issue 10 that will create yet another layer of police oversight.
However, even the biggest proponents of issue 10 in the days leading up to election day admitted any oversight created must not violate the collective bargaining agreement between the FOP and the City of Akron.
Union leadership and our union attorneys are available to discuss and advise those charged with creating this additional layer of police oversight who may not be familiar with the collective bargaining agreement."
