Youngstown should use connection with new AG

When Attorney General Marc Dann, the Mahoning Valley's claim to statewide political fame, appointed Youngstown police Sgt. Rick Alli to head his law enforcement operations, we wondered how such a move could benefit this region.
A front page story Thursday on the city's overall crime rate provided us with the answer. In particular, it was the insight from Capt. Kenneth Centorame, chief of detectives, about the underlying cause of homicides, robberies, burglaries and even arsons that prompted us to ask, "What can the city do about it?"
In Centorame's view, it mostly comes down to the illegal drug trade that has a stranglehold on Youngstown.
In 2006, burglaries increased nearly 17 percent and robberies rose by 6 percent. The chief of detectives pointed out that officers involved in drug busts often find stolen goods.
"They're desperate for money or property to trade for drugs. They rob or break into houses to sustain their habit. These aren't guys trying to get money to pay their electric bill."
As for the disturbingly high homicide rate -- one of the highest per capita in the nation -- drug gangs have turned parts of the city into veritable war zones.
So, what can be done? Mayor Jay Williams recently announced an anti-crime campaign that envisions more police officers on the streets. Williams has asked city council to bolster the police department's overtime account, and has also discussed the possibility of reactivating the auxiliary police force.
But the city can't do it alone -- and that's where the Ohio Attorney General's Office comes in.
First-hand knowledge
Alli, who was the police department's spokesman, has first-hand knowledge of what's going on in the city with regard to crime, and he can put that knowledge to good use. Alli should talk to Attorney General Dann about launching all-out war on the drug trade. City, state and federal law enforcement agencies need to commit to a long-term effort.
It has been done before in Youngstown, most effectively when Patrick J. Ungaro was mayor and the city had recorded the highest homicide rate in its history. In addition to a hard-hitting, sustained street operation, there also was aggressive prosecution.
Ungaro urged the U.S. Attorney's Office to find ways of charging those arrested in the raids under federal statutes. The reason: Tougher sentences handed down by federal judges compared with the punishment meted out by judges in the state criminal justice system.
One of the most important subtexts of this war on crime was the reassurance residents got from seeing so many law enforcement types in the war zones.
Dann has said he wants the Attorney General's Office to play an active role in communities like Youngstown that find themselves being held hostage by criminals.
He now has the chance to deliver. Rick Alli should be able to provide all the information Dann needs to form a partnership with the city of Youngstown.