Speakers raise concerns about limits of Ohio Collaborative standards as council places police-related DOJ grant applications on consent

Public comment at the Akron City Council’s July 21 meeting raised concerns that Ohio Collaborative certification sets only minimum standards for use-of-force policy even as council moved multiple U.S. Department of Justice policing grant applications to the consent agenda. Jennifer Boswell, a Ward 4 resident and retired state corrections employee, and a second commenter identified as Janos urged council to pair accreditation efforts with stronger local policy administration and community oversight.

Boswell told council she supports the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) accreditation grant program but warned certification alone can be limited. “The current policy statements of the Ohio Collaborative regarding the use of force and use of deadly force is exactly 4 sentences long,” Boswell said. She added that, under the collaborative’s…