Ex-police chief starts job as acting head of Ohio BCI

The ex-chief will probably head the commission that combats organized crime.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
Attorney General Marc Dann hired former Howland Police Chief Steve Lamantia as the acting superintendent of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation.
It's possible that after his temporary stint with the bureau Lamantia will be tapped by Dann, a Liberty Democrat, to head up the state's Organized Crime Investigation Commission.
Lamantia, 66, is expected to be the bureau's acting director for at least two to three months, said Ed Simpson, Dann's chief of administration and policy. Lamantia's first day on the job was Tuesday.
"We don't envision him as a permanent appointment," Simpson said. "He'll do a variety of law enforcement roles for the office. We're looking at what holes to fill and his expertise."
There is talk of Lamantia's heading the Organized Crime Investigation Commission, Simpson said. Lamantia said he is interested in running the commission but is also excited about heading the bureau for the time being.
"Which one would I like best?" he said about the two posts. "It's hard to say."
Lamantia said he would do whatever Dann asks him to do in the attorney general's office.
"I didn't expect this; I didn't expect anything," Lamantia said. "I'll stay on as long as Marc wants to keep me. I believe in Marc and his plans for law enforcement."
Lamantia will earn 84,011 annually in salary to start with the attorney general's office.
Law-enforcement career
Lamantia began his law enforcement career as an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper in the Warren post in 1964.
He spent 29 years with the patrol before retiring in 1993 as a captain and commander of the Warren Northeast District. In that capacity, Lamantia supervised 200 people at six posts in seven counties.
Lamantia was then hired as chief of the Howland police department, a job he held until his 2003 retirement. Since then, Lamantia has worked part time for a security agency in Virginia, and as a private investigator.
Lamantia will move from Howland to the Columbus area. At the bureau, he will oversee a staff of more than 300. The bureau provides investigatory and laboratory assistance to local law enforcement agencies. At the highway patrol and in Howland, Lamantia said, he used the services of the bureau.
The Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Committee creates task forces with local agencies to fight organized criminal operations in the areas of narcotics, money laundering and racketeering enterprises.
Met during 2000 campaign
Lamantia said that he first met Dann during the latter's failed 2000 state Senate race and that he has a great deal of respect for the attorney general.
"Steve brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to BCI," Dann said in a prepared statement. "He is well-respected for his work in law enforcement throughout the state of Ohio. We are excited to have him as part of our team."
Lamantia is the second Mahoning Valley resident hired by Dann, attorney general since Jan. 8, for a top law enforcement post in his administration. Dann recently appointed Youngstown police Detective Sgt. Rick Alli as his chief of law enforcement operations, a position the attorney general calls his "top cop."
skolnick@vindy.com