Police retirements soar as crime rises across US
Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell and Civil Rights Attorney Robert Patillo discuss crime rising in U.S. cities and the DOJ suing Georgia over its voting law.
The Akron, Ohio, City Council has passed an ordinance requiring the town's police department to post videos of police use of "deadly force" to YouTube within seven days of a given incident.
The law requires police to release bodycam footage or other recordings from city-issued devices documenting "the use of deadly force by a police officer against a person or the use of force by a police officer resulting in serious bodily injury to a person" to akroncops.org, according to a summary of the ordinance.
OHIO RESIDENTS FIND LIVE GRENADE AT HOME, SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAYS
City of Akron press secretary Ellen Nischt confirmed to Fox News that recordings "will be posted to a dedicated YouTube page that will be linked to akroncops.org."
The initial release of bodycam footage to the public after seven days will include three or more camera angles. Any additional footage of an incident showing police use of deadly force must be published to the website within 30 days, according to a press release.
"This ordinance is the result of more than a year of community engagement, research, and preparation," Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a Tuesday statement. "Akron is now a leader among peer cities across the country when it comes to public accountability in police use of force cases. This ordinance demonstrates our commitment to being open, transparent and—importantly—consistent."
The city council voted to place the amendment on the November 2020 ballot, and nearly 89% of voters supported the measure.
"The voters of Akron made it very clear when they came out to overwhelmingly support this charter amendment that they want an accurate understanding of what happens in these critical incidents," Council President Margo Sommerville said in a statement. "This new law prioritizes the interests of the citizens we all serve."
OHIO SHOOTING VICTIM DIES AFTER HE'S RUN OVER BY COPS CALLED TO HELP
He added that while city leaders "hope that these incidents do not occur in our city," Akron residents can "now be confident that — if they do — information and video will be released to the public quickly."
Akron does not currently use dashboard cameras or cameras on tasers and other weapons but may do so in the future, the ordinance states.
George Floyd's May 2020 killing spurred the creation of new laws related to police transparency and accountability in Akron and cities across the country.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It took three days for the city and police department to release footage of a January 2020 incident in which officers shot and wounded a 19-year-old suspect, who crashed his car during a police chase, as the Akron Beacon Journal first reported.
The Akron Fraternal Order of Police did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Fox News.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
