YOUNGSTOWN Enforcers put firearm users under the gun

Gun offenders definitely will face long sentences, the U.S. attorney says.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Greg White looks at the bar graph and just shakes his head.
He is appalled at what he sees: the number of homicides in Mahoning County that involve guns, mostly in Youngstown, is staggering. That's why White, the new U.S. attorney for Ohio's Northern district, today announced a concerted effort to get guns and their users off the street.
"I have every confidence we can change this graph," he said.
White calls the effort the Violence and Gun Reduction Interdiction Program, or VGRIP. He pledges to use the federal courts and their stiffer sentences to prosecute offenders in the city's highest crime areas, particularly on gun charges.
"We have to keep these people off the streets, [out of] the neighborhoods," White said.
The reason: Mahoning County had more than triple the number of homicides attributed to firearms per 100,000 people compared with anywhere in the state between 1998 and 2000. The statistic was the nation's fourth highest, White said.
The effort started Tuesday with a roundup of suspects with warrants for serious crimes, including drugs, guns and violence.
As of this morning, police working the VGRIP program made eight arrests.
The federal government expects to prosecute many of those arrested on the warrants, said Peter J. Elliott, U.S. Marshal for the northern district of Ohio.
Target areas
VGRIP will do more than just serve warrants, however. The effort will touch each side of town.
Police will concentrate on six "hot spots" in the city, said Chief Robert Bush Jr. Police picked the areas because they were troublesome a year ago and remain so today, mostly because of guns and drugs, he said.
The U.S. attorney's office will review the charges that come from those areas. Federal prosecutors will take all the cases they can, especially gun charges, White said.
Criminals need to know they definitely will face a long prison sentence if police catch them with a gun, he said.
"If it's 'Maybe I'm going to get something,' they aren't going to leave their guns at home," White said. "The word will get out."
The federal prosecutions will involve offenders convicted on gun charges a second time.
A second state conviction brings a maximum one-year in jail. A federal conviction on a second gun charge means a minimum five-year sentence.
White said he will have the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives trace the confiscated weapons. He will prosecute gun suppliers when possible, too, he said.
A fresh start
White's plan harkens back to 1999, when federal authorities said they would take a similar tack. The idea was to "exile" gun offenders from communities with long federal prison terms.
Far fewer gun cases than expected ended up in federal courts, however. White said he doesn't know why and wouldn't criticize previous administrations. Instead, he pledged to follow through.
"This is a new day. That isn't going to happen," he said. "We are going to have more prosecutions."
Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains said the U.S. attorney's office had a hiring freeze and didn't have enough lawyers to review gun cases. Last year, about 20 gun cases ended up in federal court, he said.
Community support
Some black community leaders support the new effort but want to see more than just prosecutions. They want the U.S. attorney to follow up with resources to help neighborhood residents once the bad guys are gone.
White met with several black clergymen last week. He alerted them to the crackdown and sought their backing. He pointed out that VGRIP is targeting areas -- not certain people -- and that he needs community support if neighborhood quality of life is to improve.
Pastors are confident that White won't discriminate against blacks. They believe the U.S. attorney intends to target people without regard to race who are violent, don't value life and hurt neighborhoods.
"These aren't folks with outstanding parking tickets," said the Rev. Lewis W. Macklin, senior pastor at Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church.
They also believe White can influence where federal money is spent to help prevent youths from falling into drugs and violence. The Rev. Mr. Macklin said the government can provide the means for "systemic change to improve the quality of life."
The U.S. attorney must fill the void left by the prosecutions with positive programs, said the Rev. Alfred Coward, a pastor at Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church.
rgsmith@vindy.com