Valley authorities look forward to Crime Stoppers’ resumption

YOUNGSTOWN — Greater Youngstown Crime Stoppers is the community’s link to law enforcement to reduce crime, the police chief said.

Chief Jimmy Hughes and others spoke Tuesday in city council chambers to announce the resumption of Crime Stoppers, a program that offers cash rewards to tipsters who provide information that leads to arrests. Hughes said he looks forward to significant results.

Crime Stoppers has been virtually dormant since it ran out of money about three years ago. It is up and running again with a 15-member board and tax-free donations from the business community and others and anticipated revenue from a $1 fee tacked on to criminal cases in common pleas, county and municipal courts in Mahoning County.

Anyone with information about crimes to be featured weekly on TV and radio and in newspapers is asked to call (330) 746-CLUE. Callers remain anonymous.

Mayor Jay Williams, surrounded by police chiefs from several communities in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, said Tuesday that the reward program is a collaborative police effort. He said it’s important that those who have information about crimes step forward.

Detective Sgt. Chuck Swanson, who serves as law enforcement liaison with the Crime Stoppers governing board, said the program will feature crimes for any police agency in Mahoning County. He expects Crime Stoppers to soon include Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

Liberty Police Chief Tony Slifka said Tuesday that “what happens in Youngstown happens in the suburbs.” He said he hopes the rewards program works well.

Slifka said he’d like to see the shooting of Dr. David C. Sweet’s house in Liberty featured on Crime Stoppers. At least eight shots were fired into the Youngstown State University president’s Fairway Drive home in late December.