AKRON, Ohio — Following the deadly police-involved shooting of Jayland Walker in June of 2022, there were calls from the community for the creation of a Citizens' Police Oversight Board.
The review board became a reality when Akron voters overwhelmingly approved Issue 10 last November.
The board, which is made up of nine people, has met about a dozen times so far to work on their own rules and regulations before making any recommendations to the mayor and city council.
"I think it's all about that growth mindset and looking for that silver lining. What happened with Mr. Walker was absolutely a tragedy and it really sparked a need for change in our community, said board member Caitlin Castle who is also the college access program manager for Akron Public Schools.
Kemp Boyd, the executive director of Love Akron and the chair of the Citizens' Police Oversight Board, said the board's independence and establishing what its authority looks like is also key.
When asked if the board would like to be able to investigate police-involved incidents at the same the police department does, Boyd responded, "Man, that's really a good question. I would rather have the authority and not needing to use it versus needing it and not having it."
Bob Gippin, another board member and a lawyer, said the scope of the board's authority is expected to be voted on during an evening meeting on Wednesday.
"That's the central questions," Gippin said. "That question about the extent of our authority and really coming down to whether we have the authority to investigate and make recommendations while a department is going forward or whether our authority is limited to review after the fact."
Police Chief Steve Mylett removed the department from the criminal investigation, which was handled by BCI and the Ohio Attorney General's Office.
Walker was shot 46 times by eight Akron police officers after a car and foot chase.
He was unarmed during the shooting, but police said Walker fired a shot from his car less than a minute into the chase. The shooting was captured by multiple body-worn cameras.
A Summit County grand jury declined to indict the officers. An internal review by the police department is ongoing and is expected to wrap up by the end of summer.
Boyd said in addition to taking a look at use of force and other citizens' complaints, the board hopes to make police policy change recommendations to the department.
Chief Mylett told the board that changes were coming to the pursuit policy, but he hasn't offered specifics yet.
"We're not taking over for anybody, so we're trying to establish something so that those who come behind us have a really great foundation to really build from," Boyd said. "We feel that responsibility and we just want to make sure we do it right."
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