Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Now that Youngstown Police Chief Jimmy Hughes has given up on his plan to cash in his Deferred Retirement Option Plan fund of $500,000, collect his state pension, and still stay on as the top cop, Mayor Jay Williams can move forward with finding a replacement who has the education, knowledge and hands-on experience in policing a high-crime, revenue-challenged, shrinking urban community.
Fortunately, Williams has at his disposal lots of resources to not only help him develop a job description, but to actually guide him in the appointment of the new police chief. The resources can be found at the federal and state levels as a result of Youngstown’s getting help from various criminal justice entities in its war on crime.
From the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to the U.S. Justice Department, to the U.S. Marshal’s Office, to the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, there are experienced law enforcement types with intimate knowledge of Youngstown’s crime situation and the police department.
Outsiders looking in have a different, and often times a better, perspective of what ails a community than those who are on the inside. This is especially true of the agencies charged with the safety of residents.
We are pleased that Chief Hughes is leaving because we firmly believe that Youngstown’s crime rate is too high for a population of 66,000. That Hughes is staying through the summer — after picking up his $500,000 check — is more a matter of practicality than necessity. If we believed Mayor Williams could conduct an exhaustive search for a new chief within a short period time, we would oppose Hughes’ continued service after his retirement.
However, the mayor needs to get this appointment right. The future of the city rests with the ability of government to get the criminals off the streets.
We aren’t going to engage in a debate with Williams over his contention that Hughes has been a good chief and has made a difference. A conversation with residents, especially those living in the high-crime neighborhoods, who are prisoners in their own homes during the searing days of summer, would provide a different view of things.
Double dipping
In December, when Hughes announced that he would be retiring in May but wanted to continue as the city’s chief, we expressed our opposition in an editorial. We argued that residents must not have to suffer the prospect of another high-ranking public employee double dipping.
“The creation of the Deferred Retirement Option Plan, which has made police officers and firefighters quite rich, is a testament to the political power the police and firefighter unions wielded in 2002 in the halls of the General Assembly in Columbus,” we said in the editorial.
It would be one thing if Hughes had done such an outstanding job that is was impossible to find a replacement with superior qualifications and experience. There are many veteran law enforcement officers around the country who could provide the type of leadership and creativity the police department needs.
Mayor Williams should seek the advice and involvement of federal and state officials who have participated in the war on crime in Youngstown. And, he should work with the Ohio Association of Police Chiefs in developing a list of candidates for the job.
The city’s crime rate is not only making life miserable for city residents, but it deters job creation. The right person for the job must be found.