CANTON, Ohio — The Stark County NAACP and the Greater Stark County Urban League are collaborating on the establishment of an independent commission that would provide oversight of the Canton Police Department, 3News has learned.
This follows two recent controversies involving Canton police — the April case of Frank Tyson, who died while being arrested after telling officers he couldn't breathe; and May's case of an officer deploying his K-9 on a man who was already on the ground being arrested.
More information on the proposed police oversight panel could come later this week, sources tell WKYC. Cities like Cleveland and Akron have established similar boards in recent years following approval from voters.
The officers involved in both incidents remain on paid administrative leave as investigations continue. Cleveland area attorney Bobby DiCello is representing the families of both Tyson and Kieven Conver (the man involved in the encounter with the dog), and has called for state and federal investigations into the Canton Police Department.
"Residents of Canton are forced to live in a city under siege by the police," DiCello said in a statement following Conver's arrest. "The community's response is desperate apathy and hopelessness because they have learned the hard way that law enforcement will not be there to protect them."
National NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson has also called for the U.S. Department of Justice to probe Tyson's death, writing of what he believed was a "callous disregard" of Tyson's rights and wellbeing by the officers involved.