YOUNGSTOWN Police chief plans to phase in 'traffic stops' training in April

The union membership will be briefed at a meeting this week.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City police will receive "traffic stops" training when the weather breaks and then begin working one-man units, the chief says.
Police Chief Robert E. Bush Jr. had anticipated going to one-man cruisers in early March but says the concept will be phased in beginning in late April. He wants officers to receive refresher training that will cover traffic stops and other situations they face on the streets.
Bush mentioned the deaths of two Detroit police officers who were shot a week ago in their cruiser during a routine traffic stop. He said it was a no-no that both officers were in their cruiser when shot, that one should have been outside it with an eye on the driver they stopped.
Training minimizes the inherent dangers of the job and not putting the training into practice puts officers in harm's way, he said.
"The union expressed training concerns about one-man cars," Bush said Monday. "We anticipated that ... we'll be fine-tuning and tweaking [the concept]. If it doesn't work, we'll change it."
About the training
The training will encompass all types of situations -- one-officer approach, two-officer approach and so forth, said Patrolman Kevin Bokesch, president of the police union, the Youngstown Police Association. He said the training was last given about two years ago and he'd like to see it given annually.
Bokesch said the chief's decision to phase in the one-man units is better than an all of a sudden switch but some officers are still not in favor of giving up two-man cars.
"My officers' safety is of utmost concern," Bokesch said. "We go on an awful lot domestic calls, gunfire, stabbings and shootings that require multiple officers."
He predicted that response time will be slower when an officer working alone has to wait for backup before answering a call.
Bush has said the switch to all one-man units will improve efficiency because 80 percent of the calls for service are to take reports. For serious calls, two or more cruisers are sent and that won't change.
Union to discuss matters
The union membership will discuss one-man cars and other matters when it meets Thursday, Bokesch said. Union lawyers have been asked to determine if one-man cars is a contract issue, he said.
The union contract, which expired Nov. 30, 2003, is still being negotiated, with sticking points being raises and health care coverage.
Bokesch said the union has asked for 4-percent raises for each of the three years and no change in health care, for which officers now make no payment. He said the union realizes it won't get those terms and is hoping to meet somewhere in the middle.
meade@vindy.com