Complaints about police warrant special hearing

In light of the concerns voiced by some members of Youngstown City Council about the absence of police in their wards and the response time to emergency calls, Mayor George M. Mc Kelvey and his police chief, Richard Lewis, should ask lawmakers to hold a public hearing so the issue of police protection can be discussed in the open and in detail.
Comments this week from councilmen have left the impression that there are parts of Youngstown that are unprotected and that the money allocated to the police department is not being spent properly.
In a city where crime is the No. 1 concern and where residents are afraid to venture out of their homes, such statements from elected officials must be taken seriously.
Spending priorities: A public hearing would enable Councilman Rufus Hudson, D-2nd, for example, to expound on his view that the city isn't seeing the benefit from the money council allocates to the police department. Hudson argued that the money is meant to maintain a strong force but instead gets lost and isn't spent correctly.
"I don't feel like we're getting our fair share," he said, noting that police response, coverage and visibility continue to be problems in his ward.
But Police Chief Lewis countered that a patrol car has been added to the East Side since he took over the helm of the department, thus bringing to three the number of cruisers assigned to that part of the city .
Such disagreements feed the public's concerns about crime.
A year ago, the McKelvey administration secured $2 million from the federal Community Oriented Police Services program that enabled the mayor to announce the hiring of 40 more officers.
McKelvey said at the time that he had instructed his police chief to expedite the process as efficiently as possible to get the officers on the road sooner rather than later.
Smaller beats: Lewis explained last year that he intended to follow the national COPS concept of smaller beats and more cars on the roads. We applauded that initiative because we have long believed in community policing.
The presence on the streets of men and women in blue is a deterrent to crime and provides reassurance to residents, especially the elderly.
But if Hudson and his colleagues are right in their claim that some parts of the city are being short-changed when it comes to police presence, then the mayor and chief have some explaining to do.
We are unwilling to prejudge the situation, which is why we are calling for a public hearing.
The keyword is "public," which means that residents should also be given an opportunity to express themselves and ask questions of the elected officials.
Is the money that city council has allocated to the department being squandered? Is Lewis blowing hot air when he says that two minutes is the average response time to calls that may involve violent activity?
Can members of council who are critical of the police department provide proof that their wards are being ignored?
And what do the taxpayers think of city government's war on crime?
A public forum must be convened in the near future. The issue of police protection is too important to be addressed in council's regular session. The hearing should be at a time when the largest number of residents can attend and it should be widely advertised.