Doughnut contest, police dog featured at 5th criminal justice fair

YOUNGSTOWN

Officer Ron Jankowski is used to questioning people, but was happy to spend part of today fielding queries from a young audience.

“They get to see the lighter side of police work,” said Jankowski, who’s served 11 years with the Youngstown Police Department and is a member of its K-9 unit.

Jankowski was referring to the youngsters who came to the fifth annual criminal justice fair at Heart Reach Ministries, 211 Redondo Road, on the city’s North Side.

The free five-hour gathering, sponsored by Youngstown Northside Weed & Seed and Heart Reach, was to provide opportunities for residents to meet and foster positive relationships with criminal-justice and judicial officials such as police and corrections officers, as well as prosecutors, organizers said.

Event offerings included a puppet show, tours of a bomb-squad vehicle and a mobile forensics unit, a ministry service and a doughnut-eating contest. Crime-prevention tips were available, and Jocko, a 6-year-old police dog, accompanied Jankowski.

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