YPD officers escape dismissal

YOUNGSTOWN — Mayor Jay Williams was talked out of firing two patrolmen who made up their own quitting time during an overnight shift in mid-June.

“The actions of the officers were wholly unacceptable and not consistent with what we expect from Youngstown Police Department staff or any city staff,” the mayor said.

“The actions were serious enough, in my opinion, to have them terminated, but I did take wise counsel and input from my chief of staff [Jason Whitehead], the chief of police [Jimmy Hughes] and staff inspector [Lt. Rod Foley] who felt the officers recognized the seriousness of the infractions and yet could still provide service to the citizens of Youngstown,” Williams said today.

“That is why I did not insist that they be terminated.”

The officers, disciplined this week after an Internal Affairs Division investigation by Foley, are:

UPatrolman Michael Brindisi, 38, who was hired in February 2000. He has been suspended for 30 days without pay for leaving early June 14. The suspension began Tuesday and ends Sept. 3. He earns $25.38 per hour so the loss is $4,060. During suspension, he will not be permitted to work side jobs as a security officer, which many patrolmen do to supplement their income.

UPatrolman Stephen Price, 41, was hired in March 1993. He also left early on June 14 and received the same discipline as Brindisi, his one-time partner.

UPatrolman Edward Kenney, 40, who was hired in July 2001. He admitted that he did not clear a break-in call in a timely fashion on June 14 and could have responded to a hit-skip car accident that morning but didn’t, telling internal affairs investigators, “I don’t like taking crashes.” Kenney agreed to give up 16 hours of accumulated time. Accumulated time is earned when officers work overtime but hold the hours for use at a later time.

UPatrolman Brian Butler, 31, was hired in September 2000. Butler received written counseling for using his personal cell phone twice when he filled in for the radio operator in the 911 Center on June 14. His partner that night was Kenney. Butler, too, left early, but it has been past practice that officers filling in for the radio operator can leave when the shift ends at 5 a.m. Butler’s regular patrol shift would have ended at 6 a.m. The past practice of leaving work early for those who fill in for the radio operator has ended.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.