AKRON, Ohio — Akron Mayor Shammas Malik is defending his top cop two days after a community group called for Police Chief Brian Harding to be fired.
"I think these are misplaced. He has my full support. I believe he is the right person to lead us and lead this department," Malik said.
On Monday, Ray Greene, the executive director of The Freedom BLOC, said the chief should be ousted after he rejected the findings of Akron's Independent Police Auditor Anthony Finnell surrounding a use-of-force case.
"The Freedom BLOC, and the people of this community, have no confidence in the governing body of Akron, nor in the mayor. Therefore, we are demanding the immediate termination of Police Chief Brian Harding," Greene said.
During a Wednesday morning news conference that addressed multiple city topics, Harding briefly responded to Greene's comments.
RELATED: The Freedom BLOC calls for Akron police chief to be fired over use of force case
"I remain deeply committed to continuing this important work as we strive for the best outcomes," Harding said.
The controversy stems from a January incident in which Officer Thomas Shoemaker body-slammed Dierra Fields during a chaotic family argument inside an Akron home.
She faced charges, including resisting arrest, but a jury found her not guilty in June.
Finnell reviewed the case and the body camera videos and concluded that Shoemaker used excessive force. Finnell recommended the officer be disciplined.
Akron Citizens' Police Oversight Board agreed with Finnell's recommendations.
However, Harding disagreed and sided with an internal investigation that determined the actions by the officer were reasonable.
In part of the chief's response, he said, "Officer Shoemaker stated that when he placed a handcuff on Ms. Field's left wrist, she pulled her right hand away and turned toward him. In the past, other people have performed a similar move and then attempted to assault him or flee."
"Handcuffing is a dangerous time for an officer, especially when you have one handcuff on and are trying to place the second cuff. The handcuff may be used as a weapon," Harding added.
At the Wednesday news conference, Harding said he took the job knowing the department needed to work on trust in the community.
"I take this very seriously. I respect the input and feedback from Auditor Finnell and the Citizens' Oversight Board," Harding said.
Malik acknowledged the video of Fields being body-slammed is disturbing.
"There are many people in the community that whether this was in policy or not— that was happened, this use of force involving Ms. Fields— is not the kind of policing we want to see, and honestly, that's how I feel too," Malik said.
However, the mayor said he continues to focus on community conversations, policy change, and systems change.
To that end, he said the city is planning a comprehensive review of its use-of-force policies and plans to announce new details in the coming weeks.
Harding also stressed the importance of training and said that in 2025, officers will learn additional methods to diffuse critical incidents through ICAT (Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics) training.
