The mayor of Akron, Ohio, said that a school resource officer who was caught on film punching a high school student in the head has been put in charge of other people.
It was released by Akron Public Schools on Monday that the school’s resource officer, who is a police officer in Akron and was assigned to Firestone Community Learning Center, hits the 16-year-old boy in the head at least three times before putting him down in front of other students and staff.
Police said the officer approached the student after the 16-year-old first went around the school’s metal detector, then set it off, and then rushed through it again.
Officials from Akron and Deputy Chief of Police David Laughlin spoke at a news conference on Monday and said that the student did not have a weapon on them. The student had a cellphone on him when he went through the metal detectors, according to the police. Students can’t bring their phones to school, and they have to keep them in a pouch that the school board gives them.
The city of Akron is in Summit County, which is 40 miles south of Cleveland. At first, the student was charged with resisting arrest, getting in the way of government business, and criminal trespassing.
But Malik said that he had talked to the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office and they decided to drop the charges while an investigation into the use of force is done.
Malik said that the video “upset” him and that he thinks “many others will as well.”
Based on what the school security officer said, the field case report says that around 8:05 a.m. on Oct. 16, the principal told the school radio operator that she was looking for the student because he had not gone through the metal detectors. The report says that the director found the student and led him back to the detectors with the help of the resource officer. “It glowed red and beeped” as the student went through the device. The school resource officer said that he told the student to go through the detector again, but the student “did not immediately listen,” so the officer put his arm in front of the student to keep him from getting into the school. The report says that he said the student hit him with his arm to get around him.
Police in Akron Public Schools released a video that shows them and another officer watching as kids go through the metal detectors at school. The 16-year-old seems to have been stopped and told to go back through the scanners more than once in the video, which does not have sound. At one point, he seems to try to get around the police officers, who then cling to his arms and fight with him.
In the field report, the school resource officer said that he and the other officer couldn’t keep the student on the ground and under control. He also said that after fighting with the student for about 25 seconds, he hit him three times in the side of the head with a closed fist.
Malik said that the other Akron police officer worked as a security guard part-time. His standard patrol shift is still going on.
A number given to call the school resource officer could not be reached right away. A request for feedback from the police union did not get a response right away.
The head of Akron Public Schools, Michael Robinson, said in a statement that families and workers were told what happened the same day. He said that after watching the film, the actions of the resource officer were found to be “unacceptable.”
Robinson said the district asked the city to provide a new candidate for review before a placement is made. They also asked that the officer who punched the student be permanently removed from all school tasks. Robinson said that the leaders of Akron Public Schools called the cops and the leaders of the city right away to let them know what had happened.
Robinson said that the district sent out its crisis team, which has mental health experts on it.
Robinson said, “We deeply value the partnership we have with law enforcement and the important role SROs play in making sure the safety of our students and building relationships and trust in our community.” “At the same time, it’s just as important that people are held responsible when things like this happen.” Our top concern is the safety and health of our students and staff.
Robinson said that he, school district officials, and Board President Diana Autry met with Akron Police Chief Brian Harding and city officials the day after the student was arrested to talk about how worried they were about what had happened.
The student’s family hired the same law company that helped the family of Jayland Walker, a Black man who was killed in June 2022 when eight Akron police officers shot him 94 times after he fired at least one round out the window of his car. At a news conference on Monday, Malik said that the city had made a settlement with Walker’s family worth $4.8 million.
NBC News asked the company a bunch of questions, but they didn’t answer them right away. But in a previous statement, they said they would hold a news conference soon with the student’s family.
“He’s a kid.” “And no child should be punched in the face by an adult, especially if that adult is a police officer in Akron,” said lawyer Bobby DiCello. “The men, women, and children of the City of Akron should not be hurt needlessly when they are arrested by the Akron Police Department.” When a cop makes an arrest, they should follow the right steps and not be motivated by anger. If anger becomes the standard for how people are treated in Akron, our Constitution will be torn apart.
A new school security officer is being looked for by the city, Malik said.
Article Source: Akron school resource officer put on administrative duty after punching student in the head
