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Options vary for police changes
The head of the ranking officers union wants all plain-clothed patrol officers reassigned.
YOUNGSTOWN — The city administration, council members and officials with the two police unions agree there is a need to have more officers on patrol.
But they differ on how to accomplish that goal.
Capt. Kenneth Centorame, president of the ranking officers union, suggests the department take the 34 plain-clothed patrol officers on the force and “immediately put them on the street.”
Centorame made the suggestion Tuesday at a council safety committee meeting. The meeting was scheduled to further discuss legislation approved last week by council to reduce the number of ranking police officers from 66 to 39 through attrition.
The reduction — primarily cutting the number of detective sergeants from 50 to 26 — was recommended by the city’s administration. For every ranking officer leaving the force, a patrol officer would be hired, thus putting more cops on the street fighting crime, said Mayor Jay Williams.
“Let’s not lose sight that is the goal,” he said.
Council approved the administration’s recommendation last Wednesday, but agreed additional discussion to possibly change some of the language was needed.
When asked after the meeting if he expected council to make adjustments, Centorame said, “It remains to be seen.”
There is no time frame for the complete implementation of the plan, but union officials said the city will lose 38 of its most-senior officers in 2011.
Those officers are enrolled in a state program that allows them to accumulate a lump-sum of money for retirement. The program, initiated in 2003, requires participants to stay no longer than eight years after signing up for it.
“We’re not forcing anyone to retire,” Williams said. “We’re simply saying, ‘When they retire, we’ll hire patrol officers.’”
The patrol officers have their own proposal. It would reduce the number of ranking officers to 44, also through attrition, with most of the cuts in the detective sergeant rank. It would also include having 34 to 38 patrol officers serve as detectives in a lateral move in salary.
Members of council expressed interest in that plan.
Also, Williams said if some of the proposals made by the patrol union make sense they could be implemented. He added some items would need to be formally negotiated and others would require approval of the city’s civil service commission.
Regarding Centorame’s proposal to put all plain-clothed patrol officers on the street, Edward Colon, the patrol officer union president, said it’s something to consider.
“It’s one option out of many,” Colon said.
Centorame said the current police department setup works and if anything needs to be changed, it’s to add more detective sergeants.
“I disagree that what we’re doing is working,” Williams said. It was a sentiment also expressed by members of council.
The meeting occasionally became heated. At one point, council President Charles Sammarone said the officers he’s spoken to don’t have morale problems and are happy to have a job.
Centorame, Colon and other union officials at Tuesday’s meeting strongly disagreed — saying morale is a major problem at the police department.
skolnick@vindy.com