Philadelphia Police Department moved to fire a controversial captain. He abruptly resigned.
Nashid Akil was a no-show as captain of Philly's 22nd Police District, and the target of two probes into misuse of city grant funds. His career ended over an unrelated incident.
A controversial Philadelphia police captain resigned Wednesday after receiving notice the department intended to fire him — bringing an abrupt end to a 22-year career that had come under the cloud of at least two investigations into his potential abuse of city grant funds.
A police spokesperson confirmed the resignation of Nashid Akil, a captain who had been fired before over alleged misconduct and then got his job back in 2005.
Akil had been the commanding officer of the 22nd District in North Philadelphia until October, when he was reassigned following an Inquirer report that exposed his chronic absenteeism and the resulting chaos in his precinct. He was benched and stripped of his service weapon in January, after the newspaper reported that the captain and his officers had improperly received over $75,000 in city grant from a youth boxing program.
In the end, however, Akil faced termination from his $117,750-a-year post over a previously unreported incident.
Three sources familiar with the case, who were not authorized to discuss it publicly, said Akil was found to have violated department procedures while seeking to fire a district sergeant who was out on COVID-19 sick leave, and later lied to Internal Affairs investigators about the incident.
Police spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp declined to say why Akil was fired, but said it was over a “noncriminal” matter. City officials previously confirmed that Akil’s use of grant funds was under investigation by both police Internal Affairs and the city’s fraud watchdog, the Office of the Inspector General.
Attempts to reach Akil on Wednesday were not successful.
In an interview in October, Akil denied skipping work and spoke of the youth boxing program funded by the city antiviolence grant as his signature community engagement initiative.
He described himself as a hardworking district captain with deep roots in the community and aspirations to become commissioner one day. “I make sure I give 100% because [crime] could touch close to home,” he said.
» READ MORE: How a Philadelphia antiviolence grant improperly funneled $76,000 to city police staffers
Interviews with current and former police staff, and a review of hundreds of internal records, show how Akil had built a personal fiefdom in the 22nd District, with virtually no oversight from department leadership. He showed up to work late or not at all, and allowed simmering feuds to boil over into what some staffers described as a toxic workplace. Akil neglected basic duties required of a captain, such as running regular community meetings.
Akil also threw his support behind a local church, Epiphany Fellowship, seeking a $392,000 city grant to run the youth boxing program he had founded — and then, in violation of city policy, steered nearly a third of the billed funds back to himself and eight other officers before the city suspended the funds.
Internal Affairs also found that he lied to investigators and failed to properly supervise his subordinates, the records show.
The department moved to fire Akil five months after he was found guilty of misconduct related to this incident, after The Inquirer published its stories and the city began investigating the captain’s boxing program.
A lawsuit filed in October by a district officer alleged that Akil had illegally retaliated against her for blowing the whistle regarding misconduct within the district. The complaint describes a climate of internecine strife in the district, including physical assaults among officers and preferential treatment for certain officers.
Yet that same month, Akil described his ambitions to rise even further in the department.
“If it was meant for me to be promoted or to be a commissioner one day or a chief somewhere, I accept it. And I will lead in that position,” he told The Inquirer.
» READ MORE: The captain of a busy Philly police district is often absent. Yet he’s in line for promotion.
Akil’s reassignment last fall came as a relief to some community members in the 22nd, one of Philadelphia’s most violent police districts.
Judith Robinson, a longtime community organizer, had been frustrated by the captain’s absence, and, later, was shocked to learn about the financial improprieties.
She was “saddened” to learn Akil had been fired, but said it appeared to be necessary.
“You didn’t do your job, dammit. I hate to see anybody lose a job in this environment — but it’s too much,” Robinson said. “You knew better. You’re taking a program that’s supposed to be for youth, and sucking dollars out of it.”
In October, Akil was replaced by Capt. Michael Goodson, who has since restored community meetings.
“We just hope and pray that he stays around a little while, because we have had so many different captains over the years,” she said.
— Staff writer Barbara Laker contributed reporting.