BOARDMAN POLICE Substation gives more visibility

Property crimes in the area have been increasing.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Within a month, township police will be fighting crime closer to where much of it happens.
Chief Jeffrey Patterson said he's been looking for space on the north end of the township for the last several years to combat steadily rising residential burglaries, business break-ins, stolen vehicles and car break-ins.
"You have to draw a line," Patterson said. "It just makes sense; this is the older area of the township and the area that would decline first."
Lease details
Trustees last week approved a five-year lease for a police substation at 5000 Market St. owned by Davis Funeral Home. Rental cost is $20,167 for the 1,344-square-foot office space the first year including utilities. Rent in subsequent years will be based on the cost of living but is not to exceed a 5 percent increase.
Rent will be paid from the township general fund. The roughly $60,000 it will take to get the substation equipped with computer and telephone lines and other equipment will be paid from the law enforcement trust fund, or money from assets forfeited by drug dealers.
In 1997, the department started an outreach office in a storefront on Hillman Way as part of a now-expired grant program. Because of the space and limited parking, that facility wouldn't meet the goals of the new substation, Patterson said.
When the new office opens, likely sometime next month, the Hillman Way site, which has operated on a month-to-month lease, will shut down.
Plans for facility
"We want to have a visible police presence on the north end of the township," the chief said.
The substation will be staffed with a supervisor and three officers assigned to traffic; two detectives, one assigned to burglaries and one assigned to auto theft; the crime prevention officer and three to four officers who will patrol the north end.
"They'll be about three miles closer to the area they're focusing on," Patterson said. "We have a beautiful facility out here [the main station], but we're on the southern end of the township."
The building also has a meeting room that could be used for neighborhood watch meetings.
The department has been targeting the area with neighborhood traffic enforcement and its street crimes unit, but the substation will enable officers to spend more time in the area.
Eventually, Patterson hopes to install a backup 911 dispatch center in the new Market Street building. Currently, if the communication center would malfunction, dispatchers would have to drive to Canfield.
Trustee comments
Trustee Kathy Miller voted against the lease agreement for the building although she voted in favor of the motions to equip the site. She said the cost is much higher than the rent charged for other property in the area.
The Market Street site formerly occupied by the Youngstown FBI office, for example, is about 3,000 square feet, computer ready and would cost about the same amount annually, she said.
Those offices are on the second floor with a rear entrance, Patterson said.
"We want visible offices," he said.
Trustee Elaine Mancini said the search for a suitable space was ongoing for a long time.
"I trust the judgment of our police chief," she said. "He knows what we need and what facility would be our best choice."