Akron Mayor Shammas Malik announced more steps to tackle gun violence and increase trust in policing during his 2025 State of the City address Tuesday at Lock 3 in Akron.

Although shooting and homicides in the city are trending down, public safety is still a top priority, Malik said. This fall, the city will launch a hospital-linked violence interruption program to meet victims of gun violence in the hospital to interrupt cycles of violence, he said. Summa Health and Cleveland Clinic Akron General have already signed onto the project, he said.

"The comprehensive approach led by our police department's efforts, adding in our community based street team, our hospital partners and support for victims, is our way of tackling the underlying root causes of issues and seeking to reduce gun viol

See Full Page