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Hubbard chief reflects on new job
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James Taafe
Hubbard
The city’s new police chief, James Taafe, took a route to the position that he never thought would lead to being the top commander of 12 full-time and 10 part-time police officers.
While sitting in the chief’s office with unpacked boxes from the move down the hall, Taafe said his career “was kind of a twisting, turning road.”
Taafe began as a part-time radio operator and auxiliary officer for the city in 1984. After graduating from the police academy and spending time as a part-time officer, he became full time in December 2004 and assigned to the detective bureau a year later as a sergeant.
He was sworn in as chief Wednesday after achieving the highest score of those who took the civil-service test.
“I didn’t think [reaching the rank of chief] was going to happen,” he said. “I was quite happy where I was. But it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, so I had to take it.”
He looks forward to the challenge of maintaining the same standard of living in Hubbard.
“Hubbard’s a great place to raise your children,” Taafe said. “It’s a great place to start a business.”
He said the crime coming up from Youngstown is no different from any suburban ring city. He compared Hubbard to Struthers, Girard and Campbell, calling them “the same community with a different name.”
He is concerned with the dilemma facing all police forces across the country: budgets.
“There’s a lot of challenges facing law enforcement, specifically staffing and manpower issues,” Taafe said. “Budgets are shrinking, calls for service are increasing. It’s kind of a conundrum.”