YPD loses supervisor, cruiser

March 28, 2015 at 12:04a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Police Chief Robin Lees not only has to replace an officer who retired Friday after more than 33 years of service, he also needs to get a new cruiser.

Lees explained that Detective Sgt. Cindy Dellick, who began her tenure in the department as a civilian in 1975 before becoming an officer in November 1981, will drive only one cruiser, an old Crown Victoria, as supervisor of the North and East sides.

Now that she has retired, the cruiser also is being retired, and a new one is ready to take its place, Lees said.

The same can’t be said for Dellick, the chief said.

“I’ve known Cindy my entire career here,” Lees said. “She was somebody I always felt I could count on. She was always there when we needed her.”

Dellick also was a negotiator for the Mahoning County Crisis Response Team.

Dellick said she retired now simply because it is the right time. She said she has no idea why she wanted to become a police officer, but at age 15, she just decided it was something she wanted to do.

“I decided this is what I wanted to do and I was ... determined,” Dellick said as she exchanged handshakes and hugs with other officers in the department’s roll-call room.

Dellick said the most important thing for young officers now is to get as much education as they can because of constant changes in both the law and technology.

Lees said an officer will be promoted within 30 days to take Dellick’s place as a detective sergeant, which will then open a position in the patrol division. Lees said a new patrol officer will not be brought on, however, until a recent group of newly hired officers are finished with their training.

Lees said the department’s field-training officers who work with new officers for several months when they are first hired are all booked with new officers to train. When they are freed up, a new officer will be hired, Lees said.