Stark County councillors propose police oversight board

CANTON, Ohio — The Stark County NAACP and the Greater Stark County Urban League are working together to establish an independent commission to provide oversight of the Canton Police Department, 3News has learned.

More information on the proposed police oversight board could come later this week, sources tell WKYC. Cities like Cleveland and Akron have created similar boards in recent years after voter approval.

The officers involved in both incidents remain on leave while the investigation continues. Cleveland attorney Bobby DiCello, representing the families of Tyson and Kieven Conver (the man involved in the encounter with the dog), has called for state and federal investigations into Canton police.

“The residents of Canton are forced to live in a city under siege by the police,” DiCello said in a statement after Conver’s arrest. “The community’s response is one of desperate apathy and hopelessness because they have learned the hard way that the police will not be there to protect them.”