AKRON, Ohio — In an effort to better hold officers accountable and be more transparent, some Akron leaders, like Council President Margo Sommerville, want to expand the look-back period on police body-worn camera video.
“We found out that there’s technology called the look-back period basically that can go back 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 1 minute before the officer turns the camera on,” said Sommerville.
This conversation first began when Sommerville said she and several council members heard about the lookback period from some Akron officers during recent police reform meetings.
Now, she said, they are working with Mayor Shammas Malik to see how these changes could be made after council passed a resolution on Monday.
“This is a great way to make sure that we can hold our officers accountable,” said Sommerville.
Meanwhile, Akron Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #7 President Brian Lucey said officers are being held accountable based on last year’s auditor’s report.
“He reviewed roughly 300 incidents, whether that be a complaint or a use of force, and 97% of the time, I believe was the number gave, he concurred with APD findings, I think a 90 (something) percent. Then, there was about 6% that he concurred with the findings but offered recommendations, and then there was roughly 3% that he did not concur with the findings,” said Lucey.
At this time, Lucey said body-worn cameras are able to go back and capture the 30 seconds once they’re activated. But he said it’s just video without audio.
Sommerville said the city is trying to figure out what that extended period would be.
“There’s other cities that do up to two minutes back (right) and so what we want to do is to look at best practices,” said Sommerville.
Lucey said it’s concerning that this discussion is just taking place.
“The fact that they have no knowledge about a lookback period is actually alarming that they didn’t research prior to voting on its approval years ago,” said Lucey.
In a statement to News 5, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said, “We are gathering information from other law enforcement agencies on timing, audio and procedure adjustments. We will share more information when it is available.”
“If the city of Akron cannot afford to pay for personnel, I don’t know how the city of Akron can justify paying for cloud space,” said Lucey.
“We’ve got to figure out how we can do both. How can we make sure departments are properly staffed, but also how can we utilize technology (right) that exists in a way that we can be transparent,” said Sommerville.
Both Lucey and Sommerville said they are open to talking.
Meantime, Pastor Marc Neal of Dominion Family Church said he wants what’s best for Akron.
“I believe that Mayor Shammas is trying his best to bring about resolution,” said Neal. “My hope is that they will take the needed and necessary action steps that is viable for the community.”
