Applications now open for Akron's civilian police oversight board

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Applications are now open for Akron's new civilian oversight board, a proposal from Mayor Dan Horrigan that City Council recently passed to oversee the city's policing policies and practices.

The board will be composed of eleven members, six of whom will be appointed by Horrigan with Council's consent and five selected directly by Council. It will include at least one resident from each ward, as well as an attorney, an expert in the field of mental health, an expert in the fields of racial equity and social justice and an expert in law enforcement.

Board members are recommended to complete optional training with the Akron Police Department's citizen academy and 40 hours of ride-alongs within their first year of service.

Each board member will receive $100 per board meeting, hearing or City Council session that they are required to attend, but annual compensation paid to any member may not exceed $1,200.

The city plans to seat the board by the start of 2023. Applications are available on the city's website or at City Hall and can be submitted in person or to citizenoversight@akron.ohio.gov with a copy of a current resume.

The legislation establishing the board, which passed Oct. 26, comes in the midst of calls for police reform that reached a fever pitch in Akron this summer when 25-year-old Jayland Walker was shot more than 40 times and killed by officers in June.

The legislation was passed despite a competing proposal created by Akron citizens, local organizers and public officials. That measure, though similar in its goals but differs slightly in composition and execution, will appear on November's ballot for voters to decide.

If passed, the grassroots proposal would be permanently codified in the city's charter and supersede the current legislation proposed by the mayor.

The mayor's proposal can be adjusted by future council legislation, though he said he plans on a future ballot initiative to amend the city's charter.

Reporter Abbey Marshall is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Learn more at reportforamerica.org. Contact her at amarshall1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Applications now open for Akron's civilian police oversight board