AKRON, Ohio — Residents voiced their concerns Tuesday night to Deputy Chief Brian Harding in the second of two town hall meetings. Harding is the final candidate for police chief and is currently serving as acting chief of police.
"How are you going to make sure that we can trust APD after Jayland Walker, after Tavion Williams. as well as Dierra Fields. as well as many more that have been killed or beaten?" Lillian Barnes questioned.
Many voiced claims of racism within in the department, along with a lack of diversity.
"I completely hear what they're saying, and I agree that we need to continue to be very purposeful and be as inclusive as we can as we move forward," Harding said after the meeting at East Community Learning Center. "And that starts with how we serve, who we serve, and the customer service."
Some residents directed frustration at Mayor Shammas Malik for his choice, who has said the city's charter limits him from hiring candidates outside the department. The mayor told 3News he's confident Harding can create positive change for the city.
"There's a lot of work that we need to do, whether it's talking about the hiring and promotion process, making sure that we have diverse candidate pools for every rank in the police department," Malik said. "Some of that is governed by our union contract, some of that we hope to change when it comes to the charter amendment we want to move on this fall."
Harding shared his three top priorities: community engagement to build relationships with the people the department serves, recruitment and retention to be inclusive and diverse to reflect the community, and violent crime prevention to tackle gun violence.
"People want policing, and they want fair, just, and equitable policing," he added. "And that's what needs to be our goal."
Malik says there will be additional stakeholder meetings in the coming days, and he anticipates a formal announcement in the next few weeks.
Earlier coverage: