BUDGET Leetonia police return patrols

The department has used 45 percent of its budget already.
LEETONIA -- The Leetonia police patrol schedule will be full again soon for the first time since January.
In an effort to reduce his nearly $300,000 police budget in January, Chief John Soldano reassigned patrolmen on six shifts, reducing their hours and assigning some as dispatchers.
Half the patrol shifts were reinstated in June. After reviewing the police budget this week, village council approved reinstating the remaining shifts.
"Although we have had few problems lately, I can't stress enough how important police presence is," he said. "It means a lot. Police presence is a crime deterrent. We always want to be proactive, to be out there diffusing situations so they don't become big problems."
The police department used 45 percent of its budget in the first six months.
Warm-weather crimes
Soldano said there have been few problems with vandalism and other warm-weather related activity. Police usually expect more instances of vandalism, juvenile mischief, alcohol-related problems and domestic disputes during warm weather, he said.
Soldano said that he has kept spending to a minimum. The department always has a shortage of dispatchers, so some patrolmen were trained as dispatchers.
Including Soldano, the department has three full-time and seven part-time officers, and eight part-time dispatchers.