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Youngstown police plan to beef up downtown patrols
By DAVID SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
With the weather about to get warmer and an increase in the number of people at bars and restaurants downtown, the police department will add officers to patrol in that part of the city, the mayor said.
“We’ll have a highly visible presence so people will continue to feel comfortable about coming downtown,” Mayor Jay Williams said Wednesday.
There usually are at least two officers downtown in the evening and early morning hours when the bars are busy and are closing.
Beginning next week, there will be more officers in patrol cars, motorcycles and on foot, Williams said.
“When the bars let out [about 2 to 2:30 a.m.], we have had a few issues” of disorderly conduct, he said. “The incidents are minor, but we want to keep them minor and even eliminate the minor ones. We want people to still feel safe. We’ve always had [police] coverage downtown. We’ll be increasing it.”
Also, there will be an increased presence in the neighborhoods starting in a few weeks, Williams said.
The mayor said he and Police Chief Jimmy Hughes are discussing reassigning officers to get as many as possible on patrol.
Also, the city police department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol will begin saturation law-enforcement patrols throughout the city beginning sometime next month, Williams said.
Williams discussed the increased police presence at Wednesday’s city council meeting.
During the meeting, council authorized the city’s board of control to enter into a $54,000, one-year contract with the Mathis Group. The Youngstown-based company was selected by city officials among four proposals.
Mathis will monitor companies doing business for the city and those receiving financial benefits from Youngstown to see if they comply with Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action laws.
The Mahoning/Youngstown Community Action Partnership handled that responsibility for the city since mid-2006 until Youngstown terminated the contract in February.
“We were dissatisfied with the fulfilment of the contract,” Williams said. “There were instances where information was lacking [on EEO and Affirmative Action] and we had to get it ourselves.”
MYCAP received about $70,000 annually for the work that will be done by the Mathis Group, Williams said.
Mathis will start doing that work for the city in less than 30 days, Williams said.
MYCAP suspended Richard A. Roller II, its executive director, without pay last week after the agency received sharp criticism from two state agencies, including the Ohio Department of Development in a January report.
The city’s decision to cut ties with MYCAP “was made independent” of the problems at the agency, Williams said.