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Lowellville appoints part-time, interim police chief
By Sarah Lehr
LOWELLVILLE
Village council convened in a special session to approve the mayor’s appointment of a part-time, interim police chief.
Council voted 5-1 Monday night to appoint Elrico “Rick” Alli, with only Councilman Keith McCaughtry voting against. McCaughtry supported giving the position to Lowellville Police Capt. Donald Coppola.
Alli, a private investigator licensed through the Ohio Department of Public Safety, retired from the Youngstown Police Department in 2007, having attained the rank of detective sergeant.
He has also worked for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the Coitsville Police Department and the Mill Creek Park Police Department.
“I plan on going there and using my 40 years of law-enforcement experience to add to a positive direction,” Alli said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to bring a new perspective to the department.”
Lowellville had lacked a chief since August, when Richard Jamrozik resigned from the position after the Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court granted a five-year civil-protection order against him.
A former girlfriend filed documents with the court, alleging that Jamrozik had beaten and threatened to kill her. Jamrozik did not contest the protection order.
The village’s police captains had been fulfilling the chief’s duties in the absence of an interim appointee.
As interim chief, Alli will earn $20.43 an hour for no more than 28 hours per week. Per ordinance, the mayor will have up to six months to decide on appointment of a full-time, permanent chief.
Mayor James Iudicani Sr. said, “I’m delighted to have a guy with that much experience working for our village. I think it’s great for our young police department to have a leader like Rick Alli. He’s a people person. He’s very community-oriented and he’s going to do great things for our department.”