Jury to decide if officer is responsible for crash that killed man

YOUNGSTOWN -- A jury will decide whether a Boardman Township police officer was at fault in a car crash three years ago.
Jury selection began Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where the family of Steven Memmer is seeking $15 million in damages from the township.
Memmer, 21, of Boardman, was killed Feb. 1, 2001, when his car was hit broadside by a police car driven by Boardman Patrolman Jack Cochran.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Cochran was en route to a burglary call on Glenridge Avenue, and Memmer was on his way home from work.
Memmer turned his Honda into the driveway of his apartment on Southern Boulevard as Cochran was passing him from behind.
Patrol investigators estimated Cochran was driving about 76 mph at the time of the collision. The suit says Cochran acted recklessly in driving more than twice the posted speed limit.
A Mahoning County grand jury cleared Cochran of any criminal wrongdoing in February 2001. The civil suit was filed in March 2001 by Memmer's family.
The suit also says the township's policy on police pursuits and responses was flawed because it fails to establish rules of safe operation of motor vehicles and fails to properly train officers.