The announcements focused on community engagement and releasing the names of the top four candidates for the job, along with the date of a virtual community town hall and the city’s community survey result.
With the retirement of Chief Ken Ball in February 2021, the position of Chief of Police was vacated. The nationwide search began in early March with the assistance of the consulting firm Ralph Andersen & Associates.
Applications were accepted until late April, and the city completed preliminary vetting in May. Last week, Mayor Horrigan and a diverse internal team of cabinet members completed the first round of interviews, which resulted in the selection of the top four candidates.
“I am impressed with the pool of qualified candidates who applied to be our next Chief of Police. I am looking for an individual who has the experience, temperament, and integrity to drive this department forward. We face significant challenges related to violent crime and strained community trust, and we need a chief who places a primary value on transparency, inclusion, and crime prevention, and who is prepared to drive change where needed. They must be a listener and a leader at the highest level,” said the mayor.
The final four candidates are:
- Eric David Hawkins, Chief of the Albany (NY) Police Department
- Joseph P. Sullivan, recently retired Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia (PA) Police Department
- Stephen L. Mylett, Chief of the Bellevue (WA) Police Department
- Christopher A. Davis, Deputy Chief of the Portland (OR) Police Bureau
Mayor Horrigan surveyed the community about the most pressing issues facing Akron in terms of policing to help guide the priorities of the interviews and final selection. The survey was open from March 9, 2021, to April 23, 2021, and the city received 1,427 responses.
The top three responses regarding the priorities of the Akron Police Department were: reducing police use of force, reducing racial disparities, and community-oriented policing.
A large majority of respondents desired that officers place a higher value on community relationships and de-escalation techniques. Participants would like APD to place a greater emphasis on visibility, communication, and respect.
“Policing is a difficult profession – one that requires high levels of patience, compassion, and preparation for situations that vary from routine traffic accidents to active shooter scenarios,”
“It is clear from these survey results that our community wants to further reduce the number of confrontational interactions between citizens and police and wants to strengthen relationships with the APD – but that first requires trust. Our community wants a police force that looks like them, respects them, and protects them. And our next Chief of Police must understand, value, and meet the expectations of the citizens we serve,” the mayor added.
Mayor Horrigan will host a facilitated Community Town Hall with the top candidates on Thursday, June 17 at 5:30 PM to further engage the community on these issues.
The event will be broadcast live on the City of Akron’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/cityofakron).
Residents interested in submitting questions should do so via email to APDChiefSearch@akronohio.gov or by calling the Mayor’s Action Center at 3-1-1 or (330) 375-2311 on Wednesday, June 16 at noon.