LEETONIA POLICE Team approach stabilizes department once in constant turmoil

The police chief said the department's turnaround has been a team effort.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LEETONIA -- When John Soldano became Leetonia police chief five years ago, morale was low and stress was high.
Soldano was the department's fifth chief in five years.
The turnover at the department's top position, coupled with conflict among the various chiefs, mayors and village administration, made for turbulent times that kept police and dispatchers on edge.
Now Soldano, 38, said department operations are more stable, and a direct result of that is improved morale.
Besides Soldano, the department has one sergeant and one patrolman who work full time. There are eight part-time patrolmen, one part-time detective and eight part-time dispatchers.
He said the improvements are the result of a team effort, with communication and cooperation among department personnel, village officials and area law enforcement and social service agencies.
That wasn't always the case.
Turmoil
Soldano said with chiefs changing so frequently, the department was continually in turmoil.
Each man had his own way of doing things, and by the time police and dispatchers learned what was expected of them, they were in transition again.
Soldano was acting chief for three months in 1993, and some village officials wanted him to take the job full time then, but council was adamant that the chief live in the village.
Soldano did not want to move. His wife, Melany, was employed in West Virginia, a job she still has. A move from Wellsville to Leetonia, he said, would increase her work commute of about 10 minutes to nearly an hour.
Although he declined the chief's job, Soldano stayed on as a part-time patrolman.
"It was bad," he said. "There was conflict and no communication. We could not find stability. No one knew what was going to happen next. I don't quit. I don't run from things, but I almost did then."
Another opportunity
When the chief's job was up for grabs again in late 1997, residency was less of an issue for council, and although he was happy as a state corrections officer, Soldano found his heart was in Leetonia.
"I knew I could do the job, and I wanted the chance," he said. "I'd been through the good and the bad here. I'd paid my dues."
Soldano won the job from among 12 applicants.
Soldano began his duties as chief Oct. 23, 1997. He continued to live in Wellsville, and council waived the residency requirement in the 11th month of his 12-month probationary period.
The early days were difficult, Soldano recalled.
"Everyone was tense," he said. "Over and over again, I'd keep telling everyone to relax. The stress was incredible. I knew what they'd been through because I went through it with them."
Soldano started by visiting area law enforcement and social service agencies. The department's communication and cooperation with those agencies was lacking, he said. Improving community relations, particularly in the schools, has been a priority for Soldano.
"The kids used to be afraid of the police," he said. "Building a rapport with them was a hard sell. I spent time in the schools every morning for two years."
On the goal list
Among Soldano's goals are to secure a Department of Justice grant to hire a school resource officer full time.
He also hopes to provide Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education programs in the Leetonia schools with a D.A.R.E. certified Leetonia officer. Lisbon's D.A.R.E. officer runs Leetonia's programs.
"I think the majority of our 2,500 citizens are pretty happy with the job we do," Soldano said.
He noted that with council's blessing, the detective position was reinstated, the dispatch center and squad room were remodeled and new computers purchased.
Soldano said council approved the purchase of three new police cars over the past five years, and a Leetonia officer was recently assigned to the Columbiana County Drug Task Force.
Dispatching
A problem area that remains, however, is a high turnover among dispatchers. All the dispatchers are part time, and many leave for full-time jobs.
The police budget is about $370,000 of the village's $654,000 general budget.
Soldano would like to find a way to increase the department's wages across the board and have at least one full-time dispatch position available. He wants the department to be a place where people want to stay, not just a steppingstone.
"I don't do any of this alone," Soldano said. "There are people here who have been here longer than I have. There are people here I couldn't do without.
"I still love the job and look forward to coming to work every day," he said. "It's still a challenge. I didn't come into this expecting to wave a magic wand and fix everything. There's still a lot to do."