New unit targets juveniles, violence

At-risk youths need after-school and summer programs, an officer says.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The police department's Crisis Intervention Unit and juvenile bureau are combining under a new name: Family Investigation Services Unit.
The new unit is in the former Phar-Mor Building, now 20 Federal Place, downtown. Detective Sgt. John Perdue is the officer in charge. He said the staff includes another detective sergeant, six patrol officers and a social worker.
Perdue, most recently a detective working robbery cases, is a veteran of both the CIU and juvenile bureau. He likes the idea of combining resources to work with families that experience domestic violence or juvenile crime.
Perdue said he has a meeting set with the juvenile court prosecutor to discuss, among other things, the disposition of cases. He wants to shorten time between arrest and arraignment, which can often take months.
As head of the FISU, Perdue said he's eager to find programs for at-risk youths, especially after-school activities to keep them out of trouble.
"We have to find alternatives for these kids," Perdue said. "We have to keep them active."
He said he'd like to see employers step up to offer summer jobs for teenagers.
Personnel change
Detective Sgt. Delphine Baldwin Casey, meanwhile, is leaving the Crisis Intervention Unit, where she's been since it formed with her input in 1996. The unit, which handled mostly domestic violence cases, worked out of the Wick Building.
Casey is returning to work after a medical absence of nearly eight months to oversee the police department's planning and training division.
"After 10 years, I went as far as I could, accomplished what I wanted at the Crisis Intervention Unit," Casey said. "Now there's a need for education and being proactive."
She said part of the planning and training division deals with the community. The division, she said, has many components, including block watches and in-service and weapons training for officers.
"I see myself in a different role, doing some of what I used to do but in a different way," Casey said. "I'll still deal with abuse and rape and stalkers but this time by training officers who deal with the calls."
The new city prosecutor, Jay Macejko, has some police training ideas for domestic situations, Casey said. She expects more prosecutions by the state, which don't require the victim to sign the complaint.
Casey said she wants to do more with the board of education to reduce crime and violence in the schools. Pupils, she said, need to realize the consequences of their actions.
She had high praise for Perdue, saying he knows the operation of the crisis unit and juvenile bureau and has good networking skills.