Akron’s Citizens’ Police Oversight Board has appointed an auditor.

On Friday evening, the board held a special meeting for the sole purpose of voting to appoint Anthony Finnell as Akron’s first independent police auditor. He was approved in a 6-2 vote.

Finnell will begin his tenure as auditor on March 25.

Board chair Kemp Boyd and board member Caiti Castle cast the two “no” votes.

Boyd said his vote wasn’t personal. For him, it wasn’t a question of if they were going to hire Finnell, but how.

“I thought it would have been better to bring him in as a consultant versus in the immediate as an auditor,” said Boyd. “Simply, the reason why is I know he’s coming in from out of town, and because the hire was going to be so heavy and so big for us, I thought bringing him in as a [consultant] and gradually easing him in to help us find someone more local possibly a deputy auditor, or possibly even as an auditor.”

Castle said that she believes Finnell’s background makes him a good fit for the role.

“But I do feel, from things that I’ve heard from different community members, that there were some other things that I personally believe would be important to our candidate for the position that Mr. Finnell did not showcase through the process,” Castle said.

Finnell currently serves as the president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE).

Finnell’s job is now to provide external and internal oversight and review of the Akron Police Department’s policing practices by reviewing use-of-force incidents, citizen complaints alleging excessive force, unprofessional behavior and more.

The board picked Finnell to fill the position in January, but two members felt it necessary to introduce him to the public before appointing him.

Then, there was concern that he couldn’t be appointed until the board’s rules were in place, which were accepted by City Council on Feb. 26, rules lacking two provisions present in a previous iteration. The first was the power conduct an investigation at the same time as the police department, the second is the power to compel officers to comply with subpoenas.

Finnell also faced job performance questions pertaining to his time in similar roles in Oakland, California and Seattle Washington, concerns that the board ultimately disregarded.

When those concerns came to light, board member Bob Gippin said what he’d seen didn’t change his mind or concern him. Vice-Chair Donzella Anuszkiewicz and board member Brandyn Costa agreed.

During a Feb. 21 meeting of the police board, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s chief of strategy, Nanette Pitt, urged the board to consider hiring Finnell as a consultant rather than as auditor.

In an emailed statement to the Beacon Journal, Malik encouraged the board to consider Finnell’s past job performance as outlined in a report from WKYC, writing, “The decision of whom to hire rests with the Board; our administration will work constructively with the Board and whoever is selected.”

Boyd said that his belief that Finnell would have initially been more suited to a consulting role had nothing to do with the administrations recommendation. He’d suggested bringing Finnell on as a consultant after the board interviewed him two and a half months ago.

The last piece required for the board to be fully staffed is a deputy auditor, which Boyd said he hopes to happen within Finnell’s first 90-days.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Police oversight board appoints Anthony Finnell as independent auditor