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Three new officers hired at Warren Police Department; six new cruisers put into service
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Warren has three new police officers, bringing the total to 65, though it will be about six months before they are ready to work on their own.
They are Johnathan Dina, who previously worked for the Mill Creek Park Police Department; Joseph Wilson, who worked for the Hubbard Police Department; and Nicole Smith, who worked as a corrections officer for the Northeast Ohio Corrections Center in Youngstown.
Enzo Cantalamessa, Warren safety-service director, gave the oath of office to the three new officers Monday morning in front of city hall, where the police department also displayed the six new Ford Explorer police cars that are going into service.
Cantalamessa said Monday was historic in that Smith is the first female officer hired into the department in more than 22 years. She worked as a corrections officer about six months.
The timing also was good to give the oath of office to Wilson, Cantalamessa said, because today is Veterans Day, and Wilson is a 2006-11 veteran of the Army, having served as a combat medic during one tour each in Iraq and Afghanistan. He worked nearly two years as a part-time officer for the Hubbard Police Department.
Dina, the son of Austintown Police Detective Kathy Dina, began working for the Mill Creek Park police in February. He and Smith both have bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice from Youngstown State University.
The new officers will spend this week in orientation, learning policies and procedures and the specifics of the U.S. Department of Justice consent agreement with Warren police on use of force.
Then, for five to six months, they will train with another officer until a determination is made that the officer is ready to work on his or her own, said Lt. Dan Mason.
The department is planning to hire two more officers in the coming months and is expecting one retirement in December. Another civil-service test will be given next year for future hires, said Eric Merkel, Warren police chief.
The department purchased three of the new cruisers with forfeiture money turned over to the department through investigations in which cash or other items of value have been seized. The remainder of the cost was paid from the city’s general fund.
Larger cruisers of this type provide the department with more space to carry equipment, officials said. Each is equipped with a computer and dash-cam recorder. Cost was $245,322 for all six cars.