Youngstown’s crime problem to get multi-agency attention

The shocking slaying of 80-year-old Angeline Fimognari will serve as the backdrop for the city of Youngstown’s crime-fighting campaign this summer. The aggravated murder trial of Jamar Houser, 19, of Volney Road, is expected to take place later this year, with pre-trial hearings scheduled at regular intervals. Widespread press coverage and public attention are assured, given that Fimognari was sitting in her car in the fenced-in parking lot of St. Dominic Church on the city’s South Side when she was shot dead. The church-going lady had attended Mass on the morning of Jan. 23, something she did twice each day.

Any discussion of the murder invariably turns into a broader conversation about Youngstown’s crime epidemic and what’s in store for the city this summer, given the high unemployment numbers as a result of the national economic recession. The homicide rate is already beginning to creep up compared with 2009. There were 11 homicides as of April 22, one more than was recorded by May 21, 2009.

Mayor Jay Williams and police Chief Jimmy Hughes are planning an offensive on crime as the mercury rises that will build on the city’s experiences over the past several summers. Collaboration will be the foundation of the campaign, as it was last year and the years before. A key player will be the federal government.

Last week, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Steven Dettelbach, came to Youngstown and met with Williams, Hughes, Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains and others for a “meet-and-greet” session and to discuss crime prevention. While there is no concrete plan in place, the participation of the U.S. attorney’s office in Cleveland and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is expected.

“These kinds of efforts are not new,” Dettelbach said during his visit. “It’s about getting together and pooling our resources. We will, by pooling together limited resources, be as effective as we can.”

Over the years, other initiatives have been launched, such as saturation police patrols throughout the city. Youngstown police, the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have been involved in hard-hitting campaigns aimed at getting rid of the scofflaws.

Proactive

Members of the unit were on the streets overnight, when criminals tend to operate, with instructions to be proactive.

In addition, the city police and Ohio State Highway Patrol were involved in traffic interdiction, staggering times and locations.

The result of the crime-fighting initiatives? In 2008 and 2009, crime statistics for the city revealed an overall decline. Two years ago, the number of homicides and rapes dropped from the previous year.

Last year, there were decreases in murder, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. However, there was an increase in rape, robbery, felonious assaults and burglary.

The goal this year must be to reduce crime across the board. Mayor Williams is aware that perception often times is reality when it comes to government.

The murder of Angeline Fimognari and the trial of her accused killer will simply serve to feed the perception that Youngstown is not a safe city in which to live and work and that government is ineffective.

An all-out campaign against crime this summer will blunt the criticism.