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Operation Fore_cast aims to help before trouble worsens
Photo
Chief Jimmy Hughes.
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown police and the Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority have partnered with a list of social-service agencies in an effort to get some residents much-needed help before they become a problem for law-enforcement officials.
Police and YMHA officials have announced a collaborative effort called “Operation Fore_cast,” where police pair members of the community with social services that once were outside the scope of criminal justice.
Lt. Kevin Mercer of the Youngstown Police Department said a large percentage of calls the department receives end with no actual police report or arrest, but are merely officers intervening in a given domestic or social situation.
He said those calls often result in repeat calls to the department over time and eventually become a criminal matter.
Operation Fore_cast officially begins Monday and will first include all residents under the YMHA umbrella of housing and those residents living in the North Side Weed & Seed areas.
Weed & Seed is a federally funded program where law enforcement works with communities to design strategies to deter crime, promote growth and enhance the quality of life of the residents in various neighborhoods.
Mercer said Operation Fore_cast should initially include about 25 percent of the city’s residents.
When a call for service comes into the police department, emergency responders go to the call as usual, but a small team of officers screen the call to see if social services are needed.
If those services are deemed necessary, the call is forwarded to the Help Hotline Crisis Center for further review.
Cathy Grizinski of Help Hotline said the center answers calls around the clock in four different counties for crisis intervention and can direct people to the appropriate agency for help.
“My staff will identify what agency will best meet this particular person’s needs. We will collect basic demographics and generate that intake information to the other participating agencies,” Grizinski said.
Clifford Scott, the housing authority’s executive director, said he is excited that YMHA residents will be on the ground floor of the program.
“The housing authority is committed to improving the quality of life for our residents and we are committed to working with the prosecutor’s office and Youngstown police. This is a big deal,” he said.
The program will not prevent someone from facing criminal prosecution, however.
Mercer said if an individual refuses to accept services offered by participating social agencies and still poses an ongoing problem for police and the community, they may eventually face criminal charges.
It will be up to city Prosecutor Jay Macejko to again offer social services under the Operation Fore_cast program or go forward with criminal charges.
“The key is that when these situations happen police are the first to respond, but the criminal-justice system is not always the best equipped to address the problem. The person and community may be better served by using one of these other services,” Macejko said.
Police Chief Jimmy Hughes said the program addresses long-held responsibilities by police officers to act as social workers in the community. The program, he said, gives officers the tools to make sure those in need of help find the appropriate resources.
“We look forward to bringing this program as a forerunner in the Youngstown area,” the chief said.
Mercer said the agencies and tools are already in place so there is no need for additional funds to operate the program, except for the addition of a crime analyst to handle tracking of calls and success rates.
He said the Northern Ohio Violent Crime Consortium is providing a crime analyst, but the city is seeking grants to cover the cost of that position in the future.