V-GRIP: ‘We’re back, and we’re not going anywhere’
YOUNGSTOWN
The message Tuesday from federal, state and local law enforcement was simple.
“We’re back, and we’re not going anywhere,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
The Violence Gun Reduction and Interdiction Program began last weekend with 18 people arrested on outstanding warrants, seven arrested for new offenses and one assault rifle seized. V-GRIP unites federal and state agencies to supplement police patrols and target repeat violent offenders with the goal of reducing gun violence.
At a news conference on the steps of St. Dominic Church on the city’s South Side, Dettelbach reiterated the successes of the 2010 V-GRIP initiative: 154 illegal firearms seized from the streets, 21 federal indictments, 21 convictions and an average sentence of just under four years in prison.
"It was a multifaceted effort, and it didn’t just last through the summer,” he said, noting the indictment of 23 members of the LSP gang in March and 28 people indicted in a large-scale drug distribution ring in April.
Dettelbach and Mayor Jay Williams said the drop in homicides in Youngstown from 24 in 2009 to 20 in 2010, and now five so far in 2011, is partially because of V-GRIP.
“It’s far too easy and very inaccurate to try to attribute homicides to directly how many law-enforcement personnel you have on the streets,” Williams said, adding that changes in education, social engagement and investment opportunities are factors in the decrease.
“I stand here firmly believing with every fiber of my being that we will see a record decline in homicides in the city of Youngstown, not because of any one single thing,” he said. “But law enforcement, as I’ve said time and time again, is the tip of the spear. ...Any homicide is one homicide too many, but we have to start somewhere.”
Nancy McCain, a resident on East Boston Avenue, said she was “so happy” to hear specifics about V-GRIP.
“The drug dealers need to know there are people here who won’t tolerate it. We have to stand united,” McCain said.
Detective Sgt. Jeff Solic, who leads the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, reminded residents to continue calling their local police departments whenever they see anything suspicious, even if it’s just a car they don’t recognize on their street.
Dettelbach outlined the five-pronged approach of V-GRIP: Increase patrols in neighborhood hot spots; have targeted enforcement; cooperation on the federal, state and local levels; training for law enforcement; and an increase in federal prosecution.