Traffic, drug cases keep Canfield’s Mayor Kosar busy


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Canfield Mayor Bernie Kosar Sr. conducts mayor’s court earlier this week. A defendant discusses his case with Kosar.

By ROBERT CONNELLY | rconnelly@vindy.com

CANFIELD

It’s an arraignment — not a trial — for first-time offenders in Canfield Mayor’s Court.

Mayor Bernie Kosar Sr. said most people who come in for the first time are nervous and think they are going to trial.

He reads the offenders — 20 on average — their rights before any of them stand before him in the city council chambers the first and third Monday of every month.

The mayor’s court handles misdemeanor charges in Canfield city, mostly traffic violations and drug charges. Though Kosar said the court sees a lot of drug cases, he said, “I think we have the same amount of problems as anywhere else.”

Kosar and Mark Fortunato, city attorney, agreed most of the drug cases they handle involve charges of paraphernalia and abuse. Fortunato meets with every person who pleads not guilty during arraignments in mayor’s court.

For drug cases, Fortunato can work with offenders for a lesser charge. He said drug cases involving heroin and controlled substances go through the Mahoning County courts because they are felonies.

The program available for drug users is called the Substance Abuse Diversion Program, which can be used only by nonviolent, first-time offenders. Fortunato said the offender chooses a private facility, is screened once there for how the treatment will be structured, and then begins the diversion program that is overseen by the mayor’s court. Upon completion, the offender again meets with Fortunato and then a lesser charge is discussed and decided upon.

“Probably less than half avail themselves of” the treatment route, Fortunato said. “Sometimes it’s just no desire to get better.”

He said the main benefit of the treatment program is to give offenders a second chance “and help them move forward without a drug offense on their record.”

In 2013, the city made 4,556 traffic stops, and 3,876, or 85 percent, of those resulted in a verbal or written warning. The rest brought citations and arrests under both city and state violations.

The gross revenue from the court for the city was $70,276 in 2012. That fell to $67,717 in 2013. The net revenue — or what the city received after paying for programs such as the drug-diversion program, and court costs — was $48,476 in 2012 and $49,014 in 2013.

Kosar provided numbers for the first three months of 2014: January — 273 traffic stops, with 45 citations written, or 16.5 percent; February — 350 traffic stops, 38 citations written, or 10.9 percent; For March — 408stops, 38 citations, with 370 written and verbal warnings.

“A significant goal of the Canfield Police Department is to work together with our community to identify specific problems. ... Ultimately it comes back down to reducing crime and reducing the fear of crime within our community,” Canfield Police Chief Chuck Colluci said.

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