43
OSHP aims to step up efforts
Photo
Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. John Born
Photo
Chief Jimmy Hughes.
Photo
Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams
Troopers to make more random visits
By Kristine Gill
YOUNGSTOWN
Expect to see more state troopers in Youngstown in the coming weeks.
Mayor Jay Williams and Police Chief Jimmy Hughes met with members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Thursday to continue discussions about bringing more patrols to the city in an effort to curb crime.
“We’re going to do a sustained effort. We can’t be here 24/7 — 365, but we think we can make an impact,” said patrol Superintendent Col. John Born.
The initiative is not new, but in the past, OSHP troopers came for a week at a time during scheduled visits. Shorter, more ran- dom visits will keep criminals on their toes, Hughes said.
“Before, when they came in big blocks, we’d saturate an area with 15 to 20 cars, sometimes 30,” he said. “It doesn’t take long before people go the other direction or drive properly. We don’t get abusers because they’ve been warned. This will give us an opportunity to be less predictable about when they come and the locations in which they’re working.”
Born called routine traffic stops the gateway to bigger arrests including charges for weapons, drugs and driving without a license or while under suspension, and said even the presence of patrol cars can keep criminals in check.
“When we’re out, the bad guys don’t want to be out driving,” he said.
Though troopers have to stick to the roads, Hughes said many criminals wanted for other crimes are nabbed in routine traffic stops.
“Some of the worst criminals we have are pretty much without proper driving abilities,” Hughes said.
A new class of OSHP troopers will soon graduate and could be added to the Canfield post, Williams said.
“We’re not going to be arbitrarily handing out tickets to law-abiding citizens but increasing our contact,” he said, adding that having more state troopers would free up Youngstown police officers to penetrate neighborhoods.
The mayor credits Gov. John Kasich with speedy implementation of the project, having just visited the Statehouse on Monday. The effort stems from a February visit to Youngstown by Kasich after the off-campus shooting of Youngstown State University student Jamail Johnson.
Williams said the Youngstown Police Department is looking to hire new officers in the coming months but did not know how many. The city also is looking at a state grant that would bring an additional officer to the force.
“Even one more police officer on YPD is going to have a positive impact on the city,” he said.