Williams lays solid foundation for national police-chief search

Two months ago today in this space, we argued that Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams must exhaust all available resources to locate and appoint a competent, well-experienced chief of police to replace the retiring Jimmy Hughes and to provide fresh creative leadership to reduce the city’s abhorrently high crime rate.

News last week that Williams is launching a nationwide search and is tapping into a variety of organizations to aid in that search is heartening and promising.

Specifically, Williams is contacting the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, a nonprofit organization comprising police executives, and he is seriously considering enlisting the support of an unidentified Washington, D.C.-based police executive search firm. Such firms can provide valuable outside expertise toward ensuring the city appoints the best and most fitting candidate possible.

So, too, can federal and state officials and agencies that have participated in and have logged some success in the war on crime in Youngstown.

TREAT LOCAL CANDIDATES FAIRLY

At the same time, the mayor is not shortchanging potential local candidates. Williams said he plans to seek input from representatives of the police department’s patrolmen and ranking officers unions as well as city council through its safety committee and members of his administration.

But we strongly implore the city’s chief executive to avoid an overly myopic search. Strong candidates within the city’s police force, if they exist, should get adequate and fair evaluations by the research firm, state and federal agencies and the mayor.

We also hope the mayor makes the appointment priority No. 1 for the summer.

Deadlines must be set to ensure the new chief is in place before Hughes’ departure on Aug. 31. That means a list of finalists for intense review by the mayor and others should be in full swing by mid-July. We’d hope that Williams keeps the search as transparent as possible and invites some community input into the vetting process.

But when push comes to shove, the decision is ultimately and legally in the hands of the mayor. That’s why Williams must get this appointment right. The future of Youngstown rides heavily on getting criminals off the streets.