Police to criminals: Don't try it here

Drug users and other criminals are moving into Boardman, an officer said.
& lt;a href=mailto:jgoodwin@vindy.com & gt;By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR & lt;/a & gt;.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Township police say they will be working overtime to crack down on a wave of criminal activity in the northern half of the township before the problems get out of hand.
Trustees have given the department a $50,000 internal grant to cover overtime and other expenses of the Street Crime Unit.
Twelve township officers will be assigned to work the program on overtime. The program will run through August.
Capt. Jack Nichols said the program will be in cooperation with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Beaver Township Police Department, Violent Crimes Task Force and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
None of the cooperating departments will be paid out of the $50,000 township grant.
Nichols said the northern section of the township is targeted because of an increase in crimes there.
"We have noticed an increased amount of activity on the north end of the township. Drug arrests, car thefts and burglaries have increased dramatically, and trustees were adamant about getting the problem fixed," he said.
Nichols said points of focus will shift from place to place in the northern section of the township as determined by crime patterns.
He said officers will use marked cars, undercover cars, surveillance and warrant service to address the problems.
Warning to lawbreakers
"If you are driving under suspension, this is not the place to be this summer. If you have drugs on you, this is not the place to be this summer. If you plan to break into houses -- trust me, this is not the place to be," he said.
Sgt. Glenn Riddle, who will head the unit, said police have also seen a lot of people passing through the township who have active arrest warrants -- some wearing heavy body armor. He said many of those people are considered career criminals.
Riddle said drug users and other criminals are moving into the northern part of the township and many are making use of the smaller motels along Market Street for criminal acts or to hide from the law.
Nichols said township Clerk Bill Leicht advised trustees that the township can afford to add two more police officers, bringing the total to 63.
Two officers will be hired early next year, but the summer street crime unit will address the problems immediately.
Riddle said officers working the street crimes unit will not be answering calls or writing routine accident reports but will be letting unsavory characters know the department has a strong presence.
As an example, Riddle referred to Martin L. Koliser Jr., who is believed to have stayed on Shields Road and is accused of killing a Youngstown police officer and wounding another man.
He said the department wants to let those with a criminal background who are living there know that "we know you are here, and we are watching you."
"We don't want the environment here to become comfortable for these people," he said.
"We are trying to nip this in the bud before it gets out of control. It's not to the point where people are afraid to leave their homes and walk their dogs, but we want to catch the problems before it gets to that point."
& lt;a href=mailto:jgoodwin@vindy.com & gt;jgoodwin@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;