Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey
Akron, Ohio, Release of Recordings from Police Body and Dashboard Cameras after Use of Force Charter Amendment (November 2020)
| Akron Release of Recordings from Police Body and Dashboard Cameras after Use of Force Charter Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Local law enforcement | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Referral | Origin Lawmakers |
A charter amendment to require the release of recordings of police use of force to the public was on the ballot for Akron voters in Summit County, Ohio, on November 3, 2020.[1] It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported requiring recordings from police body and dashboard cameras documenting police use of force that results in death or serious injury to be released to the public. |
A "no" vote opposed this charter amendment to require recordings from police body and dashboard cameras documenting police use of force that results in death or serious injury to be released to the public. |
The charter amendment provided an exception for instances in which the release of recordings is not allowed by state or federal law. It was designed to require the city council to pass legislation implementing and enforcing the charter amendment by June 30, 2021.[1]
A simple majority vote was required for the approval of this measure.
Election results
|
Akron, Ohio, Release of Recordings from Police Body and Dashboard Cameras after Use of Force Charter Amendment (November 2020) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
64,552 | 88.84% | ||
| No | 8,111 | 11.16% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for this measure was as follows:
| “ | Shall Section 141a of the Charter of the City of Akron be adopted to mandate legislation requiring the release of
body worn or dashboard camera recordings that document uses of force by police officers resulting in death or seriously bodily injury, so long as the release is permissible under state and federal law? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ |
Shall the proposed amendment to the Charter of the City of Akron adopting Sections 141a thereof be adopted so that, as amended, and supplemented, the said section shall provide as follows: SECTION 141 a. - DISCLOSURE OF USE-OF-FORCE RECORDINGS. Council shall enact legislation requiring, with such exceptions as Council may make, prompt public disclosure, within a reasonable period of time, of recordings made by video cameras worn by police officers or mounted on dashboards of police vehicles if the following conditions are met: 1. The recording documents a. the use of deadly force by a police officer against a person; or b. the use of force by a police officer that causes serious bodily injury to a person; and 2. The disclosure of the recording is permissible under state and federal law. The legislation shall provide for enforcement in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Public Records Act. Council shall enact the legislation no later than June 30, 2021. | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Background
Chokehold ban in response to the killing of George Floyd
On June 9, 2020, the Akron City Council voted to enact two new policies for police officers. The first bans all chokeholds and provides for criminal penalties for violation. Before the vote, the Akron Police Department's policy did not allow chokeholds, but criminal penalties were not attached to violations. The other policy passed by the city council requires officers that witness another officer using a chokehold to report on the incident. It also makes witnessing officers liable for criminal charges.[2]
Akron's police camera program
Akron Police Officers are all equipped with body-worn cameras. This police body camera program was initiated in 2013 with a study on the options for police cameras. In September 2017, the program was fully implemented, making Akron the first city in Ohio to provide a body camera for all police officers.[3]
George Floyd death and protests
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a black man, after receiving a call that he had made a purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill.[4] Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a white officer, arrived at the scene and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck as Floyd laid face-down on the street in handcuffs.[5] Both the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and an independent autopsy conducted by Floyd's family ruled Floyd's death as a homicide stemming from the incident.[6] The medical examiner's report, prepared by Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, said that it was "not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process."[6]
Floyd's death was filmed and shared widely, leading to protests and demonstrations over racism, civil rights, and police use of force. The first protests took place in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 26. A protest in Chicago organized by Chance the Rapper and Rev. Michael Pfleger took place the same day, making it the first major city outside of Minneapolis to host a protest over Floyd's death.[7]
Click here to read more about responses to the killing of and protests about George Floyd.
Related 2020 ballot measures
Ballotpedia identified 18 local police-related or law enforcement measures on the ballot for November 3, 2020, that qualified following the death of George Floyd. The local ballot measures were on the ballot in nine cities and four counties within six states. The local ballot measures concerned police practices, police oversight boards and auditors, police staffing and funding levels, recordings from police body and dashboard cameras, and other policies.
| State | Jurisdiction | Title | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Los Angeles County | Measure J | Requires that no less than 10% of the county's general fund be appropriated to community programs and alternatives to incarceration |
|
| California | Oakland | Measure S1 | Changes the powers, duties, and staffing of the Oakland Police Commission and creates the Office of Inspector General |
|
| California | San Diego | Measure B | Replaces the Community Review Board on Police Practices with the Commission on Police Practices that would be appointed by the city council to conduct investigations and subpoena witnesses and documents related to deaths resulting from police interactions and complaints made against police officers |
|
| California | San Francisco | Proposition D | Creates the Sheriff's Department Oversight Board and the Sheriff's Department Office of Inspector General |
|
| California | San Francisco | Proposition E | Removes the mandatory police staffing level from the city's charter |
|
| California | San Jose | Measure G | Authorizes the independent police auditor to review reports and records related to officer-involved shootings and uses of force |
|
| California | Sonoma County | Measure P | Makes changes to the powers and duties of the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) | /
|
| Illinois | DuPage County | Law Enforcement Budget Advisory Referendum | Advises the county to continue to consider law enforcement and public safety as its top budgeting priority |
|
| Illinois | DuPage County | Law Enforcement Injury Risk Training Advisory Referendum | Advises the county to continue to fund and support law enforcement training methods that decrease the risk of injury to officers and suspects |
|
| Ohio | Akron | Release of Recordings from Police Body and Dashboard Cameras after Use of Force Charter Amendment | Requires recordings from police body and dashboard cameras documenting police use of force that results in death or serious injury to be released to the public |
|
| Ohio | Columbus | Issue 2 | Creates the Civilian Police Review Board to investigate alleged police misconduct, subpoena testimony and evidence during the investigations, make recommendations to the Division of Police, and appoint and manage the new position of Inspector General for the Division of Police |
|
| Oregon | Portland | Measure 26-217 | Establishes a new police oversight board in the city's charter |
|
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Question 1 | Adds language to the Philadelphia City Charter calling on the police department to "eliminate the practice of unconstitutional stop and frisk, consistent with judicial precedent" |
|
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Question 3 | Creates a Citizens Police Oversight Commission to replace the Police Advisory Commission |
|
| Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh | Independent Citizen Police Review Board Charter Amendment | Requires police officers to cooperate with investigations conducted by the Independent Citizen Police Review Board |
|
| Texas | Kyle | Proposition F | Amends the city charter to authorize the city council to adopt procedures and a committee to review the police department |
|
| Washington | King County | Charter Amendment 1 | Requires investigations into all police-related deaths and to provide public attorneys to represent the decedent's family in the investigation |
|
| Washington | King County | Charter Amendment 4 | Amends the county charter to authorize the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) to subpoena witnesses, documents, and other evidence in its investigations of law enforcement personnel |
|
| Washington | King County | Charter Amendment 5 | Returns the office of the sheriff from an elected position to an appointed position that is appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county council |
|
| Washington | King County | Charter Amendment 6 | Gives the county council the authority to specify the duties of the sheriff |
|
Path to the ballot
The charter amendment was recommended by the Akron Charter Review Commission. The Akron City Council voted 13-0 on July 27, 2020, to refer this measure to the November 2020 ballot.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Akron City Council, "Ordinance No. 225-2020," July 27, 2020
- ↑ 19 News, "Akron City Council outlaws police chokeholds, require officers to hold each other accountable," June 9, 2020
- ↑ WOSU, "Akron Becomes First Ohio City To Equip All Police With Body Cameras," September 27, 2017
- ↑ Washington Post, "The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes," May 30, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody," May 31, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 USA Today, "Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd's death was a homicide," June 1, 2020
- ↑ CNN, "Protests across America after George Floyd's death," accessed June 2, 2020
| ||||||||||
