After nearly a year of false starts, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s administration selected the firm that will review the Akron Police Department’s use-of-force policies, an issue he’s called a “matter of life or death” and “the most significant issue facing our city.”
The mayor’s original plan to hire New York law firm Paul, Weiss — a firm that has since faced what critics say was capitulation and then collaboration with the Trump administration — was shot down earlier this year by Akron City Council.
Council members balked at the potential $768,000 price tag and the secretive selection process before approving legislation requiring the city to have a more transparent bidding process, a significantly smaller price tag, and some sort of involvement with the University of Akron’s criminal justice program…