LEETONIA Village to make police cutbacks

Revenue is down and expenses continue to skyrocket, the chief said.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LEETONIA -- Village police will look to Columbiana in 2004 to cover one dispatching shift per day and will give up its Law Enforcement Automated Data System.
Police Chief John Soldano said village council concluded Wednesday's meeting at midnight after a lengthy discussion about the proposed 2004 budget.
Council is seeking ways to reduce the budget by about $200,000 from the 2003 budget. He said the village is suffering an income shortfall while expenses continue to skyrocket.
His 2004 budget will be about $64,000 less than 2003. Cutting a dispatching shift and giving up the LEADS system are the two biggest reductions, Soldano said. Council is discussing possible placement of an operating levy or police levy before voters in 2004. However, reductions still need to be made, because even if voters approve a levy, the revenue would not be collected until 2005, he said.
Savings
Turning over a dispatching shift to Columbiana or some other agency will save about $24,000 per year. Returning the LEADS computer system to Columbus will save about $7,000 per year plus additional costs for printer supplies.
The LEADS system is the computer system used by dispatchers to look up driver's license information, outstanding warrants and other information when police make traffic stops.
With its own LEADS system in place, the Leetonia dispatchers could look up the information on their own. Without it, the dispatchers will call Columbiana or possibly the Columbiana County Sheriff's Department to get LEADS information, then relay the information to the officers.
Soldano has not yet discussed the dispatching situation with Columbiana officials, but said having Columbiana cover dispatching shifts would be most desirable because it could be done without changing radio frequencies or equipment.