Police officers honored for work

The police chief didn’t forget the dogs who work so hard on the streets.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — There’s no “mission accomplished” sign for police.

That’s how Capt. Kenneth Centorame, chief of detectives, characterized the work done by the officers who work the streets.

Centorame spoke Thursday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church social hall at the annual Youngstown Police Department awards ceremony. More than 50 officers in the thin blue line were recognized for deeds that ranged from heroic to dogged pursuit. Because of scheduling, not all were able to accept their awards in person.

Centorame, to show the demands of police work, said the department received 95,010 calls for service in 2006 and 96,490 calls last year. In 2006, he said, 3,619 adults and 831 juveniles were arrested. Last year, 3,973 adults and 1,033 juveniles were arrested.

The increases, he said, reflects the times we live in.

“Our job is never done,” he said. “We can never say ‘mission accomplished.’”

Jason Whitehead, mayor’s chief of staff, congratulated the officers and likened what they do to the words in Louis Armstrong’s “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve seen,” a song often heard in black churches. He said everyone in the administration respects what the officers do, adding, “You put your life on the line every day.”

Police Chief Jimmy Hughes presented the award certificates, beginning with two lifesaving awards for Patrolman Rick Baldwin. Baldwin will also receive a Top Cop honorable mention award next week in Washington, D.C., for risking his own safety to save the life of a man who threatened suicide.

Cracking a cold case earned Lt. Mark Milstead an investigative excellence award. Information he developed in the case of a 15-year-old boy who went missing in 2001 led to the arrests last year of a man and woman accused of killing the boy and disposing of his body.

Detective Sgt. Patrick Kelly’s perseverance earned him an excellence award for the swift arrest in an arson on Stewart Avenue that killed two women and four children. He was unable to attend the ceremony.

Hughes, when handing out awards to officers assigned to the K-9 Unit, didn’t forget to mention their four-legged companions. Patrolman Michael Anderson and his partner, Ninja, got two meritorious service awards. Hughes said numerous weapons were recovered because of their efforts.

Patrolman Josh Kelly and his partner, Helo, were recognized for apprehending suspects in business break-ins. They got three awards.

The chief said Patrolman Ron Jankowski and Jocko earned an award for the capture of “two dangerous criminals” and the seizure of drugs and guns.

Hughes praised Patrolman P.J. Chance for being proactive and showing attention to detail. Chance, whose family joined him for the awards luncheon, received three meritorious and two departmental commendations.

Three patrolmen, Rick Baldwin, Tony Tulipano and Dave Wilson, “got together as a team” after an aggravated robbery and apprehended the suspect, Hughes said. The officers, who received an investigative excellence award, caught a man suspected in other robberies, he said.

Patrolman Robert Martini caught a serial bank robber, Hughes said. The officer’s actions, the chief said, were textbook, and no one got hurt.

As an aside, Hughes congratulated two new lawyers — Detective Sgt. Donald Scott and Patrolman Ed Colon — who recently passed their bar exams.

Among the invited guests were city and county officials and officers’ families. Thursday’s event was sponsored by Youngstown Police Ranking Officers and Youngstown Police Association.