There’s strength in numbers in war against gun violence

If you go on the Web site of the Ohio attorney general’s office and click on the item pertaining to a new initiative against gun violence, you’ll see an official looking document that has the seals of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Ohio Attorney General, the city of Cleveland and the city of Youngstown.

That’s the good news for Youngstown. It shows the city isn’t alone in its crime-fighting effort.

But the document also reflects the bad news, which most Youngstown residents must live with on a daily basis — namely, the high homicide rate for a community with a population of 80,000.

On Oct. 27, Youngstown recorded its 28th killing of the year. At the same time last year there were 26 killings. The 2006 total was 32.

It would be welcome relief to residents and non-residents alike if the city ended 2007 with less than that number. But the chances aren’t good, given the accessibility of illegal weapons and given that the initiative announced last week by U.S. Attorney Greg White of the Northern District of Ohio, Attorney General Marc Dann, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams is in its infancy.

Federal grant

However, the creation of the Northern Ohio Violent Crime Consortium, made possible with a $5.8 million grant from the Justice Department, is a major step in the right direction. It has to be, given the reality of the streets.

In addition to Cleveland and Youngstown, law enforcement agencies from Akron, Canton, Elyria, Lorain, Mansfield and Toledo are also participating in the campaign to combat gun violence.

The grant will be used to finance law enforcement patrols in hot spots of gun crimes, and to pay for the development and operation of the Ohio Gun Center that will provide state-of-the-art investigatory and forensic services to local police departments.

Attorney General Dann explained the regional approach thus: “Because criminals don’t respect international, national, state or local borders, we in law enforcement must be more willing than ever to break down political, jurisdictional and geographic barriers and work together to fight crime.”

U.S. Attorney White, who has joined with the city of Youngstown on such successful programs as the Gun Reduction Interdiction Project, which was launched in 2003, called the Northern Ohio Violent Crime Consortium the “crown jewel of law enforcement initiatives” in Ohio, if not the nation.

By so doing, White has raised expectations — especially of those residents caught in the crossfire of gun violence — that next year will see a decline in homicides.