43
Lowellville's new police chief looks ahead
By Sarah Lehr
lowellville
Richard Jamrozik, Lowellville’s newest police chief, is no stranger to death.
The 39-year-old Coitsville native estimates he’s investigated some 300 homicides over the course of his career with the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office, which began with an internship in 1999.
Jamrozik left his job as an investigator for the coroner’s office – a position he’s held since 2002 – to head the Lowellville Police Department.
He says he’s deeply grateful for his experiences at the coroner’s office where he got a crash course in empathy.
“You really do get to provide families with some closure,” he said.
Still, he’s looking forward to having fewer “1A” and “1B” incidents – police code for murder or manslaughter – come across his desk.
An extrovert through-and-through, Jamrozik says he’s also excited about Lowellville’s tight-knit community. He notes that the coroner’s office had three investigators for a county of about 233,000 people whereas Lowellville employs about 14 police officers for a 1,100-person village.
The future of law enforcement, he says, is what the U.S. Department of Justice refers to as “community-oriented policing.”
It’s an approach that focuses on prevention by encouraging cops to walk a beat, make contacts and get to know a neighborhood.
“I’ve personally never known any other way to do it,” said Jamrozik, who spent 19 years as a part-time patrolman with Coitsville Township. “I’ve also been about shined shoes, dress blues, a smile and a wave.”
Policing, Jamrozik says, is a people business.
“I’ll ask a new officer, what the most important tool they have is,” he said. “They better not say a gun. ... The answer is your mouth, your brain.”
Jamrozik displays a photo of his two German shepherds in his Village Hall office and always keeps dog treats in his pockets. The treats are a useful tool for winning over the village’s canine population, he explains.
The chief attended Lowellville High School and has fond memories of bonfires, homecoming and the Mount Carmel Festival.
“I got married to the village when I stood up and raised my hand, is how I look at it,” he said of taking an oath this month. “I get to go back to the community that I pretty much grew up in.”
The chief praised the work of those who came before him, saying he views his new job as “carrying a torch.” Going forward, Jamrozik’s ideas include establishing a cadet program and developing policy requiring all officers to wear body cameras.
Before being appointed full-time, permanent chief Nov. 9, Jamrozik spent several months as the part-time interim chief after the resignation of the Chief Ryan Bonacci in June. Upon resigning, Bonacci emailed village council members, alleging that Mayor James Iudiciani Sr. had intimidated him and interfered with his department. Iudiciani says he never intimidated Bonacci.
Despite these frictions, Jamrozik says he’s confident in relationships between the police department and village hall.
“I’m here now, and I’m going forward into the future,” Jamrozik said. “I feel completely supported by Jimmy [Iudiciani] and by council, and I think they feel the same way about me.”
In addition to having experience as a probation officer, a part-time firefighter and a crisis help-line volunteer, Jamrozik spent six years as commander of the Mahoning County Homicide Task Force, a sort of “dream team” made up of some of the Valley’s most-seasoned investigators.
Days after taking his oath as chief, Jamrozik paced around his new office, bristling with energy and making plans to get out on the road.
“Not many people make it out of the coroner’s office unless they’re going to the cemetery or the morgue or something, you know what I mean?” he said. “What I’ve learned there is that you’re most dangerous when you think you know everything. I’m not the type of chief who’s going to tell you to dig a ditch and then sit back. I’ll be out there digging the ditch with you.”