AKRON, Ohio — Meet Anthony Finnell.
With 30 years in law enforcement and oversight, Finnell is Akron Citizens’ Police Oversight Board’s top finalist for the committee’s Independent Police Auditor.
This position is responsible for helping to find common ground between the community and police.
“The primary role will be to look at those investigations, look at the policies and procedures, look at the practices and then bring forth some recommendations to help make sure that the policies and procedures are something that both the police and the community can live with,” said Anthony Finnell, who’s the candidate for the Independent Police Auditor.
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News 5 first started reporting on Akron’s Citizens’ Police Oversight Board in November 2022 when voters passed legislation for a permanent police oversight board.
In March 2023, nine Akron residents were appointed to the board, and now, Chair Kemp Boyd says the time has come to select an Independent Police Auditor.
“We haven’t made Mr. Finnell a formal offer, but we feel really good about him as a board,” Boyd said.
Before Finnell is selected, Boyd says the board wants to get the community’s feedback.
That’s why Boyd says they hosted Wednesday’s town hall at Ellet Community Learning Center for people to learn more about Finnell and ask questions.
“If I google your name, what I see are some concerns from various agencies you’ve worked for in the past, whether that’s termination or investigation, and I want to make sure that we address any potential controversy,” said one Akron resident.
Finnell says this question stems from two instances with previous employers.
He says the first was when he was asked by the police commission to grant full access to officer investigative files, but he refused due to law and was terminated.
In Seattle, Finnell says a colleague felt he was being more lenient towards law enforcement during an audit review of officer police accountability.
An ethics complaint was filed against him, which he says was later dismissed.
“There was an investigation but there was no story after the investigation. If it would’ve been such a bad thing, there would’ve been a story after the investigation that highlighted that,” said Finnell.
Meanwhile, one resident wanted to know why Finnell wanted to work in Akron since Indianapolis is his home.
“I love to come into an environment and help build something out that hopefully will last for years,” said Finnell.
Following Wednesday’s meeting, the board invites the community to complete a survey for more feedback.
