Youngstown's police chief has work cut out for him
While it is important to take note of the fact that Robert E. Bush Jr. is Youngstown's first minority chief of police, such a distinction should not make any difference when it comes to his dealing with the deeply rooted problems of crime in the city.
Indeed, Bush, who was appointed Friday by Mayor George M. McKelvey to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Chief Richard Lewis, may have a more difficult time than his predecessor in pushing the administration's "zero tolerance" policy. That's because he will have to balance his responsibilities as the city's top lawman with his responsibilities as a well-known member of the black community. As a former police officer and law director for the city, Bush is well aware that most of the violent crimes in Youngstown are committed by blacks -- against blacks-- and that the black neighborhoods are, by and large, the battlegrounds for drug-related gang wars.
But as McKelvey and Lewis both noted, the new police chief has the education, the background and the experience in law enforcement and the law to make sure that Youngstown does not revisit those bloody days of 1995 when the homicide rate hit 68 and the city made national headlines. Heavily armed rival drug gangs battled for turf and markets. Things got so bad that then-Mayor Patrick J. Ungaro appealed to the federal government for help -- which was provided in an unusually urgent fashion.
Community policing
Since then, the number of homicides has been steadily declining, but it is still too high. Last year, there were 34 homicides, compared to 32 in 2000. But more notable was the fact that there was a 7.1 percent reduction in total crime in the city in 2001, which served to demonstrate that the community policing aspect of the administration's strategy is working well.
Lewis saturated the streets of high-crime neighborhoods with law enforcement officers, and the mayor made aggressive prosecution of hardened criminals standard operating procedure.
It is within that environment that Bush begins his new assignment. We are confident that the former assistant city prosecutor and assistant Mahoning County prosecutor will continue the anti-crime campaign launched during the Ungaro era and expanded during McKelvey's first term.
While Bush's appointment has prompted criticism from some leaders in the black community, we would urge the entire community to give the new chief a chance to familiarize himself with the top job in the Youngstown Police Department and to establish his short-term and long-term goals.
As has been shown in many cities around the nation, the internal and external pressures on police chiefs are enormous. Not only do they have to deal with a culture that does not welcome the spotlight of public scrutiny, but the chiefs have to deal with communities that often are hostile to men and women in blue.
The job requires someone who not only has the knowledge and expertise in law enforcement, but someone who recognizes that his or her first responsibility is to the public. Police departments that operate behind a veil of secrecy invariably get caught up in scandals involving their officers.
Community input
We would urge Bush to maintain an open-door policy and to invite input from community groups, such as Block Watch organizations.
The new police chief's comments to The Vindicator about his appointment do show that for now, at least, he is on the right track: "... what people want is good policing; they want cruiser response; they want professionalism. That's what they want and that's what I'm going to strive for."
We wish him luck.