Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges East Canton council to probe delayed police response and force against a 13-year-old
Summary
Clarissa Bailey told the Village of East Canton council that officers did not arrive for more than 48 minutes after her husband’s fatal crash and said a separate incident involved an officer using force on a 13-year-old; she asked the council to review policies, training and accountability.
Clarissa Bailey, a lifelong East Canton resident and the widow of Michael Bailey, told the Village of East Canton council that police did not arrive for more than 48 minutes after the crash that later took her husband’s life and said a separate recent incident left a 13‑year‑old boy “afraid” after an officer used force.
“My name is Clarissa Bailey and I’m here tonight as a mother, a lifelong community member, and the widow of Michael Bailey,” Bailey said during the council’s public-comment period, asking the council to ensure “accountability, transparency, and a police department that responds to emergencies.” She described a life-or-death call near the village and said, “a nearly hour‑long delay from our own police department in a life or death emergency is unacceptable.”
Bailey also told the council that local children who once rode ATVs and dirt bikes through town are now anxious after what she described as an officer being “physically rough and forceful with a 13‑year‑old boy.” She urged the council to review policies, trainings and accountability measures so “no other family and no other child” has the same experience.
Council members acknowledged the complaint and discussed dispatch and jurisdictional boundaries. A council member said the crash location was outside the village and that East Canton officers were not dispatched through the village’s dispatch center; officers who arrived had done so after encountering the scene. Councilors said they planned to review dispatch logs and asked staff to meet with the dispatch supervisor to explore ways village officers would receive EMS notifications in the future.
Chief Crouch (reporting later in the meeting) confirmed procedural and equipment updates: body-worn cameras have been ordered, GPS tracking units were arriving for cruisers, and the department is auditing its evidence room. Councilors said they would follow up on Bailey’s request and offered to review radio and dispatch procedures to reduce the risk of missed notifications.
The council did not announce a formal investigation or disciplinary action at the meeting; members asked Bailey to provide a copy of her written letter and indicated staff would review dispatch records and coordinate a meeting with dispatch leadership as a next step.
