AKRON, Ohio — Since stepping into office earlier this year, Mayor Shammas Malik said safety has been his top priority, and he said this message is clear after Akron City Council unanimously passed a $815 million operating budget on Monday.
“We’re 87 days in today, and we've passed capital budget, we've passed operating budget, and this operating budget puts public safety front and center,” said Malik.
For the first time in 30 years, Malik said the city of Akron will invest in its highest number of firefighters.
The mayor also said this investment will allow the Akron Police Department to hire the largest number of police officers it's seen in the last 20 years.
“I want everyone to know that we are making Akron safer, and I want people to see that,” said Malik.
Akron Police Chief Brian Harding thanked Akron City Council and the Mayor’s Office for their support, calling this a step in the right direction as they hope to increase their force to 488 officers.
“We're currently closer to 437 today, but that's going to really make a big impact in our community as we talk about safety, as we talk about community engagement and going out and doing those further connections with the community,” said Akron Police Chief Brian Harding.
Right now, Harding said more than a third of the police department is eligible to retire, so he says these funds will help with staffing and, in return, give more officers time to connect with residents.
“We hear that loud and clearly that's what our community is asking for,” said Harding.
Meanwhile, activists with The Freedom BLOC of Akron told News 5 they’re disappointed in the allocation of money to the police.
“Safety is not putting all this money into the police department. It has been proven over and over that that's not the answer,” said Freedom BLOC Executive Director Ray Green Jr.
Green told News 5 that he believes safety looks like investing more in affordable housing, livable wages and giving kids and teenagers something productive to do.
“The money we're putting into the police department is money, we can be putting into the communities to provide real, real safety,” said Green.
“The reality is we do have to make those investments with our police force if we are going to focus on violence,” said Malik.
Along with increased public safety, the budget includes money for extracurricular activities for young people, small business support and homeless prevention.
The budget also provides funding to curb gun violence through different community-based violence intervention approaches.
