AKRON, Ohio — Akron residents elected Shammas Malik to be the city's next mayor, and within several months, he's expected to name a new police chief, replacing Steve Mylett, who retired from the department at the end of 2023.
For now, Malik has appointed Deputy Chief Brian Harding as the interim police chief. He has been with the Akron Police Department for 28 years.
"I think I've had an opportunity to grow up in this organization. I know the community well. I know the officers and the people that we serve every day," Harding said.
Harding, who hopes to get the top cop position permanently, spoke to News 5 about his priorities while he's in charge.
Harding said his top priority is increasing community policing by building connections between residents and the department's 415 officers.
"Part of that is working to decrease the number of incoming calls, and additionally, increase staffing to allow our officers more proactive free time to engage with the community," he said.
Following the election, Malik stressed that community engagement would be critical for the department moving forward.
"We want to really prioritize a plan in which every officer, especially in patrol, has time and space in their day to build that community trust," Malik said during a November interview with News 5.
Trust between the community and the department was put to the test during the controversial police-involved 2022 shooting of Jayland Walker.
The officers were investigated, but a Summit County grand jury did not indict them.
RELATED: Jayland Walker grand jury declines to indict Akron police officers for fatal shooting
The case led to multiple protests and to the formation of the Akron Citizens' Police Oversight Board.
Harding acknowledged the city is still healing from the incident.
When asked what the police department can do to help continue the healing, Harding said, "I think continue to be transparent, continue to be honest and continue to own things if we don't do something well, but also make sure we're sharing the great stories that are occurring every day in our police department."
Harding said violent crime dropped about 12% between 2022 and 2023, and murders decreased from 43 to 26 in that time.
"That's really positive momentum. We're trending definitely in the right direction," he said.
However, the interim chief also stressed more work needs to be done to cut down on crime, including getting more illegal guns off the streets. More than 800 guns were seized last year.
Harding would like to see more programs implemented to interrupt young people from turning to violence, "whether that's work programs, additional resources for education and mentoring opportunities."
Officer recruitment and retention is another priority. A new class of more than 40 men and women is expected to start in February or March.
"Over the next five years, we're going to see significant number of retirements, so we have to kind of always stay above with the recruiting that we're doing," Harding said.
Harding isn't sure if he'll get the police chief position permanently but feels he's ready for the challenge.
"That will ultimately be a decision for the mayor to make. I'm supportive either way," he said. "I just want what's best for the community or what's best for the department."
Malik has organized a community town hall meeting on Jan. 11 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Garfield CLC. It will provide an opportunity for Akron residents to share their ideas on the police chief search. It will also be live-streamed on the city's YouTube page.
