Mahoning County’s absence from AG initiative a travesty

Attorney General Mike DeWine’s words about Mahoning County not participating in the “Fugitive Safe Surrender” program were measured and diplomatic. His facial expressions told an entirely different story.

“I’m disappointed, not upset. I know we can do a lot of good here,” replied the state of Ohio’s top lawyer, when asked to comment on the county’s absence from the program. “Fugitive Safe Surrender” offers individuals with felony and misdemeanor warrants the opportunity to turn themselves in and have their cases adjudicated at a church in the community. Typically, a judge, prosecutor and public defender are present, as are other officials, including the clerk of courts.

Perhaps DeWine thought that by tempering his comments Tuesday during a meeting with Vindicator writers he could appease the two individuals who are responsible for this judicial travesty and public relations nightmare. (Trumbull and Columbiana counties will be participating.)

We, on the other hand, have no qualms about telling Youngstown Clerk of Courts Sarah Brown-Clark and city Municipal Court Judge Elizabeth Kobly that their intransigence is foolhardy.

Everybody else whose involvement is necessary, from Mayor Charles Sammarone to Police Chief Rod Foley to Sheriff Randall Wellington, have signed on.

What makes the judgment of Brown-Clark and Kobly so much more learned than others in the criminal justice community? Nothing. Their refusal to join with their colleagues is absurd and unjustified. It is ironic that both are involved in the court system in Youngstown, which has highest level of crime of any community in the county, indeed, in the Mahoning Valley.

From the outset, DeWine made it clear that a total commitment on the part of the criminal justice system was necessary. His initial announcement came in May 2011 when he attended a crime summit at St. Dominic Church on Youngstown’s South Side. Since then, a member of the attorney general’s staff has been working with officials in the tri-county area to prepare for the launch.

Why won’t Brown-Clark and Kobly sign on? Because they weren’t consulted when the plans were being made. They object to the program being held at the Union Baptist Church on Lincoln Avenue and to the “cookie-cutter model” that was proposed.

Not new program

They might have an argument to make if not for the fact that this is not a new program. It is modeled after the one successfully operated in Cleveland by U.S. Marshal Pete Elliot in 2005 and then expanded nationwide. More than 34,000 people have surrendered nationally, including more than 10,000 in northern Ohio.

In addition, studies have shown that such voluntary surrender programs work best if the location is a church, as opposed to a courthouse or police station or some other government building. There is a suspicion of law enforcement and the criminal justice system in most urban areas of the country. It is a barrier not easily overcome.

Brown-Clark and Kobly should reconsider and work with the attorney general’s office to ensure that Mahoning County is able to participate in the program in July. The clock is ticking, but DeWine is willing to keep the door open a little while longer.

If these two elected officials refuse to budge, the voters of the city of Youngstown will be justified in tossing them out of office when they are up for re-election.

Youngstown’s crime statistics make it clear there are too many scofflaws roaming the streets because of the dysfunctional criminal justice system in Mahoning County.