Release Date: February 5,2021
Mayor Horrigan Announces Beginning of National Search for New Akron Police Chief
Chief Kenneth R. Ball II retires after 30 years of faithful service
Akron, Ohio, February 5, 2021 — Today marks Akron Police Chief Ken Ball’s last day before entering his well-deserved retirement. Ball joined the Department in July 1991 and was promoted to Chief of Police in December 2017. As Chief of the Akron Police Department, Ball has commanded the Department’s 457 officers and supervisors, 51 Reserve officers and 109 civilians (including dispatch personnel) that serve Akron’s nearly 200,000 citizens.
“I would again like to thank Chief Ball for his dedicated service to the City of Akron over the last 30 years,” said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. “His leadership has been instrumental in moving the Department forward.”
The City of Akron has chosen Ralph Andersen & Associates to lead the efforts on a national search for Chief Ball’s replacement. In the meantime, Deputy Chief Mike Caprez and Deputy Chief Jesse Leeser will be splitting time acting as interim Chief until his replacement is found.
Ralph Andersen & Associates has been a nationwide leader in Executive Job Search and Consulting since 1972. They have worked with dozens of cities on executive searches; most recently assisting cities such as Oakland, CA, Las Vegas, NV, San Marcos, TX, Boise, ID, Seattle, WA, and Columbus, OH. Their efforts have helped place more than 4,600 candidates across the nation.
Mayor Horrigan adds, “As we move forward with the search for Chief Ball’s replacement, I recognize the importance of the process itself, not only to the Akron Police Department but to the City of Akron as a whole. Community involvement will be crucial as we continue to build trust with our community members and work together towards a common goal of effective, equitable and community-focused policing.”
The typical search process is between 75-90 days. However, Mayor Horrigan is committed to finding the right candidate for the position should the process take longer. As part of the search process, Ralph Andersen & Associates will issue surveys to solicit feedback from the public and from City of Akron employees to gather perspectives on what is valuable and necessary in a new Akron Chief. The input of all parties will be vital in crafting a search that will yield candidates that are right for Akron.