Inside the Fugitive Safe Surrender Program in Akron

Arnold Oden arrived early Wednesday morning to shepherd community members into his church so they could start the next chapter of their lives.

“I’m from the House of the Lord and I’m from the streets,” said Oden, a gray-bearded and energetic man. He volunteered to spend all day Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in front of the House of the Lord, the church he credits with turning his life around years ago, to welcome everybody else trying to change theirs.

“I’m just so happy to be here. It’s a great time right now.”

Helping people get on with their lives

Cheryl Wells, a parishioner at the House of the Lord and a volunteer at the event, is used to working with people in precarious legal situations as a member of the church’s prison ministries — she regularly leads Bible study in prisons around the state.

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Event is meant to make people feel safe as they turn themselves in

As they arrived, people turning themselves in were first directed to the church’s large gym, where they were greeted by an intake volunteer like Sylvia Trundle.

Trundle participated in the last safe surrender event in 2014 when she was a captain in the Akron Police Department. She felt compelled to volunteer this time in the wake of the recent killings of police officers in Euclid and Cleveland.

“This is a timely time in our community for people to safely turn themselves in,” Trundle said as the 11th person turned themself in around 10 a.m. Wednesday.

• Why is the Fugitive Safe Surrender program important?
• Should more communities implement similar initiatives?
• What are the potential benefits of participating in such a program?