2004 POLICE AWARDS Local, state and federal

The Mahoning Valley Chiefs of Police Association met Wednesday at Youngstown State University to recognize 17 men and women. Youngstown Police Chief Robert E. Bush Jr. handed out awards to:
Distinguished service: Boardman Patrolmen Brian Cionni, Daryn Tallman and Dean Lysowski, members of the department's K-9 unit. Lysowski, as coordinator, directed deployment of the K-9 units and worked in conjunction with the Crime Analysis Unit to interrupt identified crime patterns and deter criminal activity. In 2004, Cionni and his dog, Robby, assisted in many investigations throughout Mahoning County that led to the arrest of several felons and the confiscation of drugs, guns and cash. In one arrest, $6,600 was seized. Likewise, Tallman and his dog, Yuma, were instrumental in several investigations throughout Mahoning County that led to the seizure of drugs and guns. They were successful in locating a suicidal person and tracked for a half-mile a person from a vehicle accident.
*Investigative excellence: FBI Special Agent James McCann. He led a Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force 15-member team in a three-year investigation of international heroin and cocaine trafficking that resulted in 73 federal indictments in October 2004. The "Laviena" drug trafficking organization brought large quantities of drugs to Youngstown from New York for distribution throughout the Mahoning Valley. Proceeds went back to the Dominican Republic.
Investigative excellence: Youngstown Patrolman Brian Simmons. In February 2003, he initiated an OxyContin case and was able to recruit informants. He was able to identify the California source of the drugs and enlisted the aid of the Drug Enforcement Administration, which led to search warrants in Mahoning and Trumbull counties and turned up nearly 1,000 OxyContin pills and $24,000. Three arrests here and one in California on federal felony charges resulted. About $88,000 was eventually forfeited. Simmons used the unique approach of getting buy money directly from the manufacturer of OxyContin.
Investigative excellence: Youngstown Detective Sgt. Kevin Mercer; Boardman Sgt. Michael Hughes; and Special Agent Kim Nusser, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. In November 2003, Mercer, on patrol, detected the smell of marijuana at a Marshall Street warehouse and contacted the DEA task force. Mercer was then assisted in the investigation that resulted in a search warrant for the warehouse and the seizure of more than 3,500 marijuana plants, one of the largest hauls nationwide. The investigation led to the seizure of more plants in Brookfield and $260,000 in cash. Eight defendants have pleaded guilty and six more suspects have been identified.
Investigative excellence: FBI Special Agent Michael Cizmar; Youngstown Detective Sgt. Michael Lambert; Patrolman Ramon Cox; and Patrolman Steven Woodberry. In October 2003, the focus was on East Side gang activity. In August 2004, 19 gang members were federally indicted on drug- distribution charges. Of the 19, 17 pleaded guilty. The remaining two are being held in other jurisdictions on unrelated charges that include murder. The federal prosecutor who presented the case to a grand jury said jurors were so impressed with the officers' testimony that they applauded.
Investigative excellence: DEA Special Agent Erik Kockanowski; Salem Sgt. John Panezott; Poland Village Patrolman Daniel DeVille; Linda Barr, assistant U.S. attorney; and July Williams, intelligence analyst, Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. In February 2004, the DEA task force began investigating a cocaine distributor from Chicago who supplied Northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. A cocaine seizure in Youngstown connected the Chicago man to Mexican trafficking groups and led to the arrest of eight drug dealers. Search warrants spread out to California, Illinois and Florida. The case resulted in the seizure of 166 kilograms (365 pounds) of cocaine and more than $875,000 in assets.
Source: Mahoning Valley Chiefs of Police Association