Liberty 911 center is needed

Liberty 911 center is needed

EDITOR:

After being defeated in the November General Election, the Liberty Township 911 Communication levy is back on the ballot. The Liberty Township officials have taken a lot of heat for this decision. They have been accused of everything from refusing to accept the will of the people to being “tax-happy” trustees who want nothing more than to take money out of your pocket. I have had the opportunity to get to know the Liberty Township trustees, administrator, police and fire chiefs. They are hard working, dedicated public officials who have put this back on the ballot for two reasons, and two reasons only: SAFETY and SERVICE.

It should concern all Liberty Township residents that we border the 9th most dangerous city in the country. Due in part to our current 911 center, the Liberty police have done an outstanding job of keeping that crime out of the township. Information is as vital to a police officer as his training, his instincts or his gun. The police and fire departments rely on Liberty’s well trained dispatchers for this information. The dispatchers know the officers and they know the community.

Any dispatching center will have the ability to answer a call and send help. What differentiates Liberty’s 911 Center from Trumbull County 911 Center is their ability to stay on the line with an officer throughout a call, providing constant updates, support and back-up. Trumbull County 911 cannot communicate with the mobile data terminals in the police cruisers. Liberty 911 can. We need to give the men and women of the Liberty Police and Fire Departments the equipment they need to do their jobs.

In 2007, the Liberty 911 Center answered about 57,000 calls on the seven-digit line and another 6,500 calls on the 911 lines. 911 calls accounted for only 10 percent of this total. Many people in Liberty still use our 10-digit number for police and fire emergencies. They also use that number for non-emergency help and information. Without our local dispatch center the 10-digit number will not be answered after 4 p.m. or on weekends. That means a large number of requests for help and information will go unanswered. Having our own dispatch center provides our community with 24 hour access to its police and fire departments. If the voters of Liberty Township choose not to keep our dispatch center open, they will not see an increase in their taxes. They will, however, see a decrease in the services they are accustomed to. Liberty 911 is not a convenience, it is a necessity!

AUDREY WILLIAMS

Youngstown

Driver stopped for speeding in Youngstown isn’t happy

EDITOR:

I was stopped recently by Youngstown police for speeding. Okay I admit I was going too fast. But what burns me up, stuff was being stolen outside of my house throughout the summer, and on Jan. 11 of this year my house was broken into and my neighbor’s house in October. I am still waiting for detectives to show up or call.

Where are the police now? Are they waiting in a cubby hole somewhere for unsuspecting motorists to go by? I guess this is the mayor’s version of keeping Youngstown safe. Take their money, but they are on their own for everything else.

So now when the next election comes around, I will not vote for Youngstown schools. They can use the $137 I sent for the ticket. And don’t get me started on potholes.

JOHN PODGORSKI

Youngstown