Web site puts cop work online
The Web site has information about sex offenders.
& lt;a href=mailto:meade@vindy.com & gt;By PATRICIA MEADE & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Lost a pet? Want to listen to police calls? Need an accident report?
Check out the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department Web site at mahoningsheriff.com. The site is under construction and suggestions are welcome, said Sheriff Randall A. Wellington.
"I'm really enthused -- there's a lot of possibilities," he said. "We're going to do a lot with this."
Wellington said the site already has accident reports that can be downloaded, which saves people from traveling downtown or asking that the reports be mailed, which costs $3. The department will eventually have theft and break-in reports online, too, he said.
Eliminating many of the walk-in requests and phone calls for reports means the record room, which operated round the clock, will only have to be manned weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., he said.
The Web site already features a list of sex offenders, some with photos, and their addresses. If you spot a sex offender living in your neighborhood who's supposed to be living somewhere else, you can report it.
Coming soon
Crimestoppers will soon be a regular feature, as will block watch meeting information, the sheriff said.
The site's Amber Alertwhich focuses on abducted children, will show a photo of the child if possible, a description of the perpetrator, vehicle used and so forth, Wellington said. The more people aware that a child is missing, the better, he said.
The idea is to make the Web site proactive and service oriented, said Maj. Michael Budd. The sheriff's department isn't set up yet to receive photos by incoming e-mail but when that happens, "we'll be able to open it up to lost pets and any other service," he said.
Links to other Web sites, such as the FBI 10 most wanted fugitives and severe weather information, are in the works. The sheriff said he would like, with the input of local police chiefs, to provide a list of the local 10 most wanted fugitives and their photos.
Wellington said he envisions having the sheriff's department radio calls made available to the public by simply clicking on an icon. Listeners will be able to hear deputies responding to calls.
Prisoner information
The sheriff said prisoner information, such as inmate number and pod location, visiting days and hours, will be added to the Web site. He likes the proposal that inmates' family members be able to deposit money online into commissary accounts.
Budd said the Web site will offer forms for those interested in the citizen's police academy, an 80-hour course made possible by a $7,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The 10-week course offers instruction in report writing, firearms nomenclature, first aid, communications, 911 dispatching and much more.
Citizens who have completed the course can be mobilized if necessary when an emergency happens, he said.
& lt;a href=mailto:meade@vindy.com & gt;meade@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;