Youngstown's crime stats improving, but still tricky

Although the number of homicides in the city of Youngstown dropped from 47 in 1993 to 33 last year -- a 30 percent decline -- the 2002 figure still represents one out of every 2,485 residents being killed. That's why we use the word "tricky" in the headline.
How do Youngstown officials put a positive spin on a story such as this? And how does the community at large -- the Mahoning Valley -- deal with the reality that of the 33 victims of violent deaths, 27 were black?
Police Chief Robert E. Bush views the situation through the lens of law enforcement: Homicide, Bush says, is not a crime the general population that works or lives in the city has to fear. He points out that the statistics largely reflect blacks involved with drugs, especially on Youngstown's South Side.
But the chief's perspective, while legitimate, does not deal with the issue of the city's reputation as one of the most unsafe in the nation. Individuals might take exception to the methodology used to determine the level of safety, but when a city of comparable size to Youngstown's has only five homicides, then the hows and whys of the rating system don't matter much.
Crime-fighting strategy
In the city of Canton, with a population of 80,806 -- Youngstown has 82,026 -- the five killings in 2002 were the result of a successful crime-fighting strategy that not only involved the patrol and vice units, but also the courts. Judges on the municipal and county levels were "hard core" in their sentencing of repeat offenders, said Capt. James W. Myers. The five homicides are even more noteworthy when compared to the 10 to 12 killings Canton records in a typical year.
In Youngstown, the zero-tolerance policy adopted by Mayor George M. McKelvey early in his administration is also bearing fruit, but the raw numbers still tell a chilling story. That's why the issue of crime cannot simply be about law enforcement.
When the city's consultant for the Youngstown 2010 planning project held focus groups to hear what people in the private and public sectors had to say about the city and its future, the issue of crime was high on the list of issues that must be addressed urgently.
Some participants commented on the relationship between crime and the quality of life in Youngstown, explaining that although most residents aren't victims, the mere existence of a high homicide rate affects the way people live their lives.
That's what must be addressed as part of the mayor's zero tolerance strategy. Putting repeat offenders behind bars for a long time certainly will have a positive effect, but the community at large must find solutions to the problems of gang warfare, domestic violence and the general attitude of lawlessness that prevails in some neighborhoods.