Padlocking drug houses important policing tool

It is well documented that Youngstown’s double-digit homicide rate and other crimes are directly related to illegal drugs. And, it certainly is no secret — at least not to law-abiding residents in neighborhoods under siege — that vacant homes often are the workplaces of the purveyors of death and destruction.

Not a day goes by without a complaint about human traffic in and out of a home that, from all appearances, is abandoned.

So, what is to be done? Exactly what the city of Youngstown and other urban centers around the country are doing: Declaring drug houses public nuisances, boarding them up and ultimately padlocking them.

But that’s easier talked about than accomplished. The strategy of chasing drug pushers out of mostly poor residential areas takes a lot of money. Therein lies the problem.

The federal government has been cutting back on funds for law enforcement programs that have been shown to work. President Bush’s decision to do away with the Community Oriented Policing program was a major setback for Youngstown’s crime-fighting effort.

As an aside, we wonder what Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, who will be in the Mahoning Valley this evening and Wednesday morning, would say about resurrecting the community policing program that put 100,000 cops on the streets of America’s crime-ridden neighborhoods.

We aren’t expecting a major policy speech on the issue of crime from McCain and Palin, but we would hope that it is raised during the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates.

As a front page story in last Wednesday’s Vindicator noted, Youngstown city officials believe that padlocking drug houses is an effective crime-fighting tool and they are utilizing it as much as they can. But the city budget is in a tailspin, which is why the federal government’s participation is so important.

Magistrate’s order

The subject of the story was an order from Magistrate Dominic J. DeLaurentis Jr. of the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to keep a house at 542 W. Glenaven Ave. closed. It was declared a public nuisance on Aug. 27. At that time, it was vacated and boarded up. Last week’s order keeps the padlock in the place.

According to Prosecutor Jay Macejko, the city had received numerous complaints about the house between February 2007 and August 2008. A police informant made 13 crack cocaine purchases at the address in the last 17 months.

But while this success story is worthy of front-page coverage, we would point to Youngstown Police Chief Jimmy Hughes’ contention that there are dozens more drug houses in the city known to law enforcement.

Considering the tremendous effort it takes to shut such places, the city of Youngstown certainly could use an infusion of dollars from the federal government.

“There was a large group of violent offenders that were frequenting that house,” Lt. David McKnight, city vice squad commander, said of the structure at 542 W. Glenaven Ave.

It is noteworthy that it was only a block away from the Youngstown Playhouse on Glenwood Avenue. The playhouse provides that area of the city with urgently needed stability.

Last week’s order brings to three the number of drug houses boarded up — a mere dent on the list. More cries out to be done.

McCain and his Democratic challenger, Barack Obama, should be heard on the issue of crime, especially in the inner cities.