AKRON, Ohio — One week after a Summit County grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against the eight Akron police officers involved in the deadly June 2022 shooting of Jayland Walker, U.S. Representative Emilia Strong Sykes (OH-13) submitted a letter to the Department of Justice to call for an investigation into the patterns and practices of APD.
In the letter dated April 24, Sykes is urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to bring the investigation “in order to enhance public safety and the community’s trust in our sworn officers.”
“The call for this investigation is in no way an attempt at retribution, but rather, an opportunity to implement more community focused policing that serves the needs of every segment of this community,” she writes. “I am confident you share our ultimate objective of ensuring the citizens of our nation have confidence in their law enforcement agencies, and that you will facilitate solutions-based tools and practices necessary to keep law enforcement safe and accountable, and protect our communities so that we never have to be in this situation again.”
You can read the full letter in the document below:
“Ultimately, my prayer is both the members of this community and the officers who serve them make it home safely to their families and loved ones at the end of the day,” Sykes continues. “In order to do so, there must be significant efforts to build trust and meaningful relationships. The gravity of recent events has shown it is past time for an independent third party to facilitate discussion to help mediate disputes and place the community on a path to reconciliation and healing — a path that has been charted by the DOJ in numerous communities across the country.”
Sykes had declared her intentions to call for this investigation while speaking shortly after the grand jury's decision was announced on April 17.
"We need to understand the process of how this department operates," Sykes said last week. "The polices, the procedures, the training, and then start to look for solutions for more community-focused policing that serves the need for every segment of this community."
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous article on April 18, 2023.