Return of V-GRIP sends a message to criminals

There are persistent reports that some Mahoning Valley criminal gangs have Facebook pages through which they communicate with their members. If that’s so, here are some statistics that these gang bangers may be interested in studying: 154 illegal firearms seized from the streets; 21 federal indictments; 21 convictions; an average sentence of just under four years in prison.

But if those numbers fail to give them a jolt, they would certainly want to consider the following: three months ago, 23 members of the LSP gang in Youngstown were nabbed, and two months ago, 28 people were indicted in a large-scale national drug distribution ring.

Why should the criminals in the area who have managed to stay one step ahead of the law care? Because of what Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, said during a press conference Tuesday in Youngstown:

“We’re back and we’re not going anywhere.”

An ominous warning if ever there was one.

It was just about a year ago that Dettelbach came to the Mahoning Valley and launched “Operation GRIP/Violence — Gun Reduction and Interdiction Program” — to target gun crimes not only in Youngstown, which has the highest crime rate, but in Boardman, Austintown, Struthers, Campbell and Warren. The program was an acknowledgement by law enforcement that criminals are mobile and that when there’s a crackdown in one community, they go to another.

The campaign was focused on the summer, but lasted longer, as the arrests earlier this year showed.

The success of the war on crime by the 17 law enforcement and criminal justice agencies is illustrated by the statistics referred to above.

That’s why the announcement that V-GRIP has returned this summer is such encouraging news for the Mahoning Valley. The criminals are on notice that they may be able to run, but they can’t hide.

Indeed, they got a taste of what’s coming last weekend when 18 scofflaws were arrested on outstanding warrants, several were nabbed for new offenses and one assault rifle was seized.

It was good start to a summer of hope for the residents of communities that have been held hostage by criminals. Having law enforcement officials from so many agencies participate means attention will be paid to high-crime neighborhoods.

But as we’ve said in the past, the folks in those areas must be the eyes and ears for the police.

There will be increased patrols in neighborhood hot spots, targeted enforcement, cooperation on federal, state and local levels, training for law enforcement and an increase in federal prosecution.

Warning

Dettelbach did not mince words when he issued this warning to the lawless: “Either you take a break and stop what you’re doing, or we’re prepared to arrange an extended break for you in prison.”

V-GRIP’s success can also be seen in Youngstown’s homicide rate. Last year, there were 20 homicides — a decline of four from the year before.

And Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, who has made crime-fighting a rite of summer, said Tuesday he believes this year will show even greater improvement. Indeed, six months have passed and Youngstown has recorded just five killings.

It’s clear there are individuals who have no regard for lawful society and even less concern about the communities they live in. They should be taken off the streets and sent away to prison for many years.