Mayor to review conduct of police

It may be a few days before the mayor decides if officers should face discipline.
& lt;a href=mailto:sinkovich@vindy.com & gt;By PEGGY SINKOVICH & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Fresh from a weeklong vacation, Mayor Hank Angelo said his first order of business was to begin looking into the latest allegations of police harassment of citizens.
Angelo, Fred Harris, city safety-service director, and Police Capt. Tim Bowers met for nearly an hour Wednesday to discuss recent allegations.
"We discussed the Lyndal Kimble matter and the recent video tape that was taken in the parking lot of 77 Soul, and I will be going over everything," the mayor said. "I have 6 inches of paperwork to go through and I need to review the video at the club."
It may be a few days before the mayor decides if any of the police officers involved should face discipline.
'Not a hick town'
"We have to let the process work," Angelo said. "There has been a lot of media attention on this -- national attention -- and we want people to know that we are not a hick town. These allegations are being taken very, very seriously and we will deal with them."
In the past few weeks, two videotapes have surfaced that some minority leaders believe show police abusing their powers.
A videotape released two weeks ago by a resident shows three white officers arresting Kimble, who is black. The tape was broadcast nationally.
Kimble states he was beaten by police. Warren Police Chief John Mandopoulos says a preliminary review shows the officers acted appropriately.
Second video
The second video shows Mandopoulos and other officers as they stopped by 77 Soul, a nightspot, on May 24.
A friend of club owner LaShawn Ziegler's taped Mandopoulos and patrol officer Manny Nites, who put their faces up to the camera, giving the cameraman close-up views of their eyeballs. Mandopoulos also asked the cameraman if in high school he had been voted "the nerd most likely to succeed."
The chief said he and Nites were just joking. Nites can also be heard calling the cameraman a snitch and telling customers walking into the club that the cameraman is a snitch.
"This tape does cause concern, and it's disturbing to say the least," Angelo said.
Ziegler says he hopes the mayor investigates the matter.
"With all the police in the parking lot all the time, it did hurt my business," Ziegler said. "I think people thought I was going to get closed down. I want people to know I'm open."
& lt;a href=mailto:sinkovich@vindy.com & gt;sinkovich@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;