City of Akron Reaches Agreement with Akron Bail Fund

Akron, Ohio, July 25, 2024 - The City of Akron has settled a lawsuit filed last year by the Akron Bail Fund, a non-profit organization, regarding an incident which took place in 2023. Mayor Malik has made clear his intention to work with the Akron Police Department to update various departmental policies, including those related to mass gatherings. Thus, as part of the settlement, the city has agreed to update and implement policies surrounding crowd management. The Akron Police Department has been reviewing existing policies and working towards an updated crowd control policy over the last year.

"My administration has previously committed to reviewing police practices and creating a new centralized crowd control policy," said Mayor Malik. "This move is part of a larger commitment to strengthen our procedures to build trust with our community. My administration and the Akron Police Department remain committed to these efforts, and we aim to model Akron's new policy off of the International Association of Chiefs of Police's (IACP) crowd control policy which is widely regarded as best practice nationwide."

Consistent with Mayor Malik's commitment to public engagement, the city has agreed that there will be public outreach which will include a community forum prior to policy language being drafted. The city will also have a public comment period of at least 60 days after policy language has been drafted and proposed. The city will retain an expert to consult in the drafting of the policy.

The city is not admitting to wrongdoing as part of this settlement. There is no monetary settlement outside of attorney's fees.