AKRON, Ohio — On Thursday morning, Akron released a use-of-force report on the city's police department.
Last year, the city partnered with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to investigate Akron's use of force.
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The report identifies a total of 58 recommendations that fall into five categories:
- Modernizing use of force policies.
- Strengthening transparency and public accountability.
- Improving investigations, oversight, and critical incident review.
- Building an organizational mindset of training, judgment, and de‑escalation.
- Enhancing safety, medical response, and organizational capacity.
Recommendations include:
- Pointing a weapon at someone revised as use-of-force
- Police department explicitly incorporate the principle of proportionality into its UOF policy statement
- Officers have the option to retreat.
- Head strikes prohibited
- An officer-created jeopardy clause
- Officers have expanded duty to intervene when they see a fellow officer inappropriately using force
According to the report, officers have been involved in seven fatal shootings since 2019, including Jayland Walker.
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The report also found that the police department was understaffed by more than a dozen officers.
To read the full report, click here.
