The Akron Police Department welcomed 29 new officers Friday during a graduation ceremony for this year's class at the Akron Police Ccademy.
The new officers bring the department up to adequate staffing levels, after years of being short staffed. However, the department is budgeted for 488 officers, and with the new officers, the department is still about 20 officers short of that goal.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik swore in the more than two dozen new police officers, as well as two fire department arson investigators at the ceremony held at the Akron Civic Theatre.
"As you take your first shifts starting on Sunday, you'll be bolstering our numbers," he said. "Staffing is critical to violence prevention, to community policing, to the success of this department and organization and the whole city."
Among the new graduates is the first Bhutanese refugee to be a police officer in the department.
Officer Sharadha Gurung was inspired to enter the academy after helping her parents - who don’t speak English – navigate a conversation with police, she said.
“Upon my experience, I realized that there needs to be more people, like someone that could help translate, because that’s such a big thing in here," she said. "Like if we come across, people can’t really speak, so I thought I would join in and help out.”
The academy’s emphasis on community engagement will help her and her fellow graduates transition more seamlessly into their roles, Gurung said.
Newly graduated Officer Kenneth Freeman's experience with domestic violence as a child led him to pursue this career, he said.
“[I] kind of always wanted to be a police officer so I could be that person that removes that to make the family safer," he said.
Freeman, who grew up in Akron and served in the Marines, has always felt a duty to serve and enjoyed the academy’s new emphasis on community engagement, he said.
"It's almost like a blessing to where you know the streets," he said. "I imagine I'm going to encounter a lot of people I've known that I've lost contact over the years, but it is a great city."
Since being named police chief in 2024, Brian Harding has emphasized the importance of officers being in the community and this year led the creation of a comprehensive community engagement plan.
"Take the time to walk the area you work in, to engage with local businesses, to meet with residents and to participate in community events, which I know many of you have already begun to do," he said. "These simple, small gestures are the foundation of true community policing. They transform you from an anonymous figure in uniform to a trusted neighbor."
