Valley's violent crimes task force gets stimulus boost

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

jgoodwin@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force will operate at full staffing levels through the end of the year thanks to stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The task force received a $200,304 grant from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services. The Youngstown Police Department will receive $94,101 in funding, and the sheriff’s department is set to receive $106,202.

Lt. Robin Lees, task-force commander, said the task force has 24 member agencies, including the YPD and sheriff’s department, providing personnel for a drug unit and SWAT team.

He said the funding, however, is designated for the YPD and the sheriff’s department because the two departments are the largest contributors of manpower to the task force, providing two full-time officers from each department.

Lees said Sheriff Randall A. Wellington and Police Chief Jimmy Hughes may have had to discontinue providing the officers to the task force without the additional funds.

“My desire was to maintain our staffing levels, and that is what these checks represent,” Lees said. “The sheriff’s department and YPD are our principal members, and they are experiencing financial hardships like everyone else. You can have all the technology in the world, but if you don’t have somebody out there operating it, it’s pretty useless.”

Lees said a look at 2009 arrest totals can explain why staffing levels are critical within the task force. He said the sheriff’s department pulled back its two officers because of budgetary concerns in 2009, resulting in a 30 percent drop in overall arrests.

The two sheriff’s department officers, through the use of the grant, have been reassigned to the task force.

Wellington said the grant provides his department with an excellent opportunity to continue working with the task force despite the current financial struggles in the department and county.

Hughes said the city police department values the task force, and the grant funds will help the department support the task force.

The grant process is competitive with 27 task-force units from across the state competing for funding. The Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force was one of three to receive funding for personnel.

Shawn Rowley, law- enforcement liaison for the Office of Criminal Justice Services, said points such as collaboration between agencies and population are taken into account during the selection process.

He said a factor in grant funding coming to the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force was the need to maintain jobs in the two contributing departments.