6 eligible for test to become Warren police chief

By Ed Runyan

The city could become one of 250 to 300 police departments across the U.S. with a female police chief.

WARREN — The Warren Civil Service Commission made it official Wednesday morning: Up to six top cops in the city police department — two captains and four lieutenants — will be eligible to take a written, two-hour test to determine who will be the next police chief.

All six live outside the city, and two of them are women, meaning Warren could become one of the few cities in the country with a female police chief.

The six are captains Tim Bowers and Janice Gilmore and lieutenants Tom Skoczylas, Joseph Marhulik, Cathy Giovannone and Gary Vingle.

Bowers, Gilmore, Giovannone and Vingle live in Cortland. Marhulik lives in Champion, and Skoczylas lives in Howland.

The civil service commission decided Wednesday to open up the test to the lieutenants after determining only one of two interested captains is eligible — Bowers. Gilmore was not eligible because she doesn’t have enough time as captain to qualify, city Law Director Greg Hicks said last month. She was promoted to captain in July.

The force’s third captain, Tim Roberts, was not interested in the position.

The test, which is set for August, will determine who gets the job.

The position must be posted for 10 days, with the deadline to apply being around June 15.

The position became vacant in April when John Mandopoulos resigned under pressure from the city administration.

Bowers, a captain since Dec. 7, 2000, was appointed acting chief April 3.

Councilman Bob Dean says there’s no reason to be concerned that none of the candidates lives in Warren. Dean says he doesn’t think living outside the city has affected any of the candidates’ ability to serve Warren “one iota.”

Dean sponsored legislation in 2007 that would have allowed city workers to live outside of the city, but Mayor Michael O’Brien vetoed it. The matter is now pending before the Ohio Supreme Court.

Gary Cicero, the city’s human resources director, says none of the six candidates would be affected by the Supreme Court’s decision because all of them were employed by the city before 1991, and legislation approved by city council that year allowed all employees hired before 1991 to live outside of the city.

Some people interviewed downtown Wednesday said they think the city’s top cop should live in Warren.

“It bothers me for the fact that Warren is going to hell,” said Jesse Rutter of York Street, pointing to gun violence as one of the biggest problems.

“They’re trying to make the city look nice, but you need cops who care,” he said. Rutter was standing near improvements to the asphalt and sidewalks on East Market Street.

“In order to bring the city back, you have to have someone who’s in the midst of all of this. He has to live here,” he said.

Vladimer Status, walking across West Market from the Salvation Army food kitchen, said he thinks the city has “gone to the dogs,” and he believes one of the problems is that police officers “don’t care about the city; they just want a fat paycheck.”

Anna Nikolaides of Howland, who grew up in Warren, said she doesn’t think it matters where the next chief lives. “I think the best-qualified should get it,” she said.

Her father agreed.

“A person’s loyalty will be to his employer. It doesn’t matter where they live,” Pete Sfikas of Howland said.

If one of the two eligible women becomes police chief, she would take her place among a small group of female chiefs across the United States.

Diane Skoog, executive director of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives in Green Harbor, Mass., said her organization believes there are between 250 and 300 female police chiefs across the country.

The National Institute of Justice estimates that around 1.4 percent of police chiefs and captains in the U.S. are women.

The civil service commission — a three-member citizens panel — handles promotions in the police and fire departments.

Bowers, who attended Wednesday’s civil service commission meeting, urged commission members James Fredericka and John DiCenso to narrow the field of candidates to him and Gilmore, saying state law would allow them to do it.

Bowers said it doesn’t make sense to allow four lieutenants with “no command experience” as a captain to compete for the chief’s job. “By opening it up to the lieutenants, you’re making a mistake,” Bowers said.

Fredericka, however, said the city’s law department recommended that the commission keep the policy it has used for about 15 years — requiring two years of service as a captain — or else someone might cry foul.

“To change it now might appear to others as unfair and seems to us like it’s unfair,” Fredericka said.

The third member of the commission, the Rev. Frank Hearns, did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.

runyan@vindy.com

THE CANDIDATES

The following have until around June 15 to notify the Warren Civil Service Commission whether they want to take the test to become the city’s next police chief:

kCapt. Tim Bowers: became a captain Dec. 10, 2000; was a lieutenant before that.

kCapt. Janice Gilmore: became a captain July 23, 2008; became a lieutenant Dec. 7, 2000.

kLt. Tom Skoczylas: became a lieutenant Sept. 16, 1996.

kLt. Joseph Marhulik: became a lieutenant Jan. 16, 1998.

kLt. Cathy Giovannone: became a lieutenant Sept. 2, 1999.

kLt. Gary Vingle: became a lieutenant March 6, 2003. Vingle said he will retire in 2012 and does not want to be police chief.

Source: Warren Human Resources Department