An Akron Police officer who punched a student at Firestone High School during the course of an arrest on Wednesday, Oct. 16, has been placed on administrative duty, and will not be allowed to return to work as a School Resource officer.
The incident happened when the student tried to avoid going through a metal detector, and the officer wrestled him to the ground, punching him in the head a couple of times in the process.
According to a press release issued by Akron Mayor Shammas Malik's office today, the student was initially charged with resisting arrest, obstructing official business, and trespass. Since then, the city spoke with the Summit County Prosecutor’s office and they have agreed to dismiss those charges without prejudice while the use of force investigation takes place.
Now, Malik says the APD will conduct an internal use of force review and will continue to investigate the incident. Once finalized, that report will be given to the Independent Police Auditor and the Citizen’s Police Oversight Board for their review as well.
The arrest was caught on video, and the school district released both a statement, and a copy of the video today.
Akron Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Michael Robinson says the officer's actions were unacceptable, and they do not want him to ever return to the school.
In addition, he says “We deeply value the partnership we have with law enforcement and the crucial role SROs play in ensuring the safety of our students and building relationships and trust within our community,” said Superintendent Robinson. “At the same time, it is equally important that accountability is upheld when incidents like this occur. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our highest priority.”
This comes just hours after the City of Akron released the news that they had reached a $4.8 million settlement with the family of Jayland Walker. He was the 25 year old black man who was shot and killed by police officers in 2022, sparking widespread unrest and protest both that summer, and the following spring when a Summit County Grand Jury declined to return a criminal indictment against any of the eight officers involved.
Now Malik says they plan to undertake a thorough review of the police department's use of force policy.
“This has been a central recommendation from our Auditor’s Office and it’s something that Chief Harding and I are committed to addressing. I believe the systemic change that we want and frankly, need, to see in our department requires external assistance to make sure that we get it right and that our community feels they can trust the results.”
In fact, he says they have reached out to the US Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which recently conducted a review of the Columbus, Ohio Police Department's use of force policies.
However, at this point, Malik says they are engaging in early conversations, and have not yet submitted a formal request for assistance.
Malik says his goal is to "partner and collaborate with external experts, to assist the city, and taking a deep dive into Akron Police policies and practices, and advise on how we can strengthen and improve our department, build, trust, and mutual respect between our community, and our law-enforcement officers, and most importantly; help ensure better outcomes in the future.“