A lighter touch on criminal justice

Police dogs and dogs who visit health-care facilities will attend.

By PATRICIA MEADE

VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — Where can you find a bomb robot, doughnut-eating contest and McGruff the Crime Dog?

The first Criminal Justice Fair sponsored by Northside Weed and Seed will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 16 in the gymnasium at Heart Reach Ministries, 211 Redondo Road. The event will feature carnival games, refreshments, door prizes, face painting and much more.

Terri Bryant, Weed and Seed program coordinator, said the fair will be an opportunity for the community to interact with various segments of the criminal justice system.

The idea is for kids, especially, to come away with a positive image of law enforcement, she said.

Weed and Seed, a federally funded grant program, is a two-prong approach in high-crime target areas. The strategy involves weeding out crime and then seeding in services to restore neighborhoods.

Bryant said fair participants — including McGruff the Crime Dog — will raise awareness of programs available to help keep neighborhoods safe and crime free. Informational booths will be set up by a variety of agencies.

A skit will be performed by members of PANDA — Prevent and Neutralize Drug and Alcohol Abuse. The program was developed by Meridian Services Inc.

Representatives from the Youngstown Police Department, Humility of Mary Health Partners and Youngstown State University police are expected to participate in the fair.

Applications will be available for the Youngstown Police Athletic Association, said Patrolman Ed Colon, executive director. YPAL offers youngsters recreational and educational activities as an alternative to delinquent behavior.

Bryant said a Krispy Kreme doughnut-eating contest will pit four YPD officers against four people chosen from the audience. All participants get a ribbon and the winners get a plaque.

Detective Sgt. Delphine Baldwin Casey of the YPD planning and training division said she’ll be at the fair recruiting minorities — black, Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern — for the police department. Casey said she has roughly 100 applications so far, but most of them are from white men. The civil service test is expected to be given in April.

“I’ve been going out to the neighborhoods, this isn’t something that can be done from a desk,” Casey said. “I don’t start by saying, ‘Do you want to be the police,’ I say ‘Do you need a job.’”

Five dogs and their owners from Canines for Compassion, a volunteer group based at St. Elizabeth Health Center, will demonstrate how to prevent dog bites, Bryant said. Throughout the year, Canines for Compassion visit various health care facilities.

YPD K-9 officers and their dogs also will be at the fair, and Detective Sgt. Joe DeMatteo, head of the bomb squad, said he’ll have the unit’s bomb robot there for a demonstration.

Teenagers and adults who have community service hours to perform will work off some of their hours at the fair, Bryant added.

meade@vindy.com