'I am very aware of the mistrust,' Akron police chief nominee Brian Harding says at forum

Akron community members voiced their concerns Saturday morning at the first of two police chief finalist forums, telling the city they want the Akron Police Department to change under the next chief.

The event was attended by nearly 115 residents, who peppered Deputy Chief Brian Harding and Akron Mayor Shammas Malik with questions about the hiring process, racism in the department, the Signal 44 newsletter and how to hold officers more accountable.

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"I'm very aware of the mistrust," Harding said. "We need to have a dialogue with the community. Treat people fairly and equally."

On Thursday, Malik and his advisory team announced that Harding, the acting chief, was the lone finalist for the job.

Harding addresses the Signal 44 newsletter

In his opening remarks before answering questions, Harding addressed Signal 44, an underground newsletter that circulated in the police department dating back to at least 1997. It was the subject of an internal affairs review in 1998.

The newsletter contained racist depictions of Black Akron residents, disparaged people seeking housing with the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority and more.

"It made many remarks that divided our community, including racist remarks around the African-American community. It was unacceptable then, and it is unacceptable today," he said. "I did not write that."

A white officer wrote the newsletter on his shift, Harding said. That officer faced disciplinary action at the time, but has since left the department.

Although Harding knew of the newsletter at the time, he did not report it. He said when he was interviewed as part of the internal investigation, he was asked if he was offended by what was written about him.

"The newsletter would routinely poke fun at officers on our shift," Harding said. "I thought what was written about me was funny."

Residents who expressed concerns that Harding would tolerate racist actions as chief asked him what he would do if Signal 44 existed now.

"I'm not proud to say I didn't do anything then; I'm not going to lie about it," Harding said. If he were chief at the time, he said, "I would have fired the officer who did it." And if he is named chief, he said, he'll take that same stance.

Wrestling with issue of racism in the Akron Police Department

Residents booed Harding's response when he was asked what the cause of racism was in the Akron Police Department.

"Overall, I don't think we have a racist department," Harding said, before explaining that he inferred from the question that the individual thought the police department was a racist organization.

Brant Lee, a University of Akron law professor, moderated the forum. To clarify the question for Harding, he described what happened when he asked his classes how many students had been pulled over by the police.

"I stopped asking the question because the same people always raised their hands. Every Black male would have a story," Lee said. "We have this problem that has happened over and over — the experience is of being pulled over for no good reason."

Lee then asked how Harding would address police behaviors that knowingly or unknowingly target a specific group of people.

Harding said there must be more community engagement and open dialogue with residents while rethinking and establishing new policies and procedures.

Increasing engagement and rebuilding trust

When Harding started at APD nearly 30 years ago, he said he was a patrol officer around Buchtel CLC. Among his primary goals was to get to know the community he served by talking to residents and listening to their concerns and issues.

But with an average of 1½ minutes between calls, he said this isn't always possible for officers.

If he is appointed chief, Harding said he wants to introduce "reverse" ride-alongs to increase positive interactions and rebuild trust. Instead of residents riding in cruisers with police, officers would ride with residents.

Another option is to have "park and talks," giving officers time to park and exit their cruisers to chat with community members.

When in the academy, recruits are told to go into the community to meet and learn about who they are going to serve, but Harding said that is not enough. After the academy, officers should rotate into community relations roles.

The relationships his officers build, he said, will help move away from reactionary policing.

"It shouldn't take a shooting to make our police officers go into the community to engage," Harding said.

Harding said he hopes this approach will reduce violent crime, increase recruitment, result in a more diverse police force and encourage retention.

How did Malik pick Harding as a finalist?

Malik said he and his advisory team recently decided on Harding as the finalist after interviewing Harding and the other applicant, Deputy Chief Jesse Leeser.

The forums were initially designed to give both Harding and Leeser an opportunity to field questions from the public, but Malik said it would have been irresponsible to put both on stage once he had made up his mind that Harding was the better fit for the job.

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Although Harding is a finalist, Malik emphasized that the city has yet to offer him the job — and the hiring process is ongoing.

Among residents' concerns at the Saturday forum was that none of the possible candidates were Black and leadership roles in APD do not represent the community.

Malik said three candidates applied. One was Capt. Michael Miller, who is Black. State law prevented Miller from being considered, Malik said, because Miller has been captain for less than a year. Even with Leeser no longer in the running, Malik said state law prevents Miller from being considered.

The next police chief forum hosted by the city is 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at East CLC, 80 Brittain Road.

Bryce Buyakie covers courts and public safety for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @bryce_buyakie.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron police chief nominee Brian Harding meets residents at forum