YPD gets over 745k to hire new officers

October 4, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The city police department will soon be taking advantage of a federal grant of more than $747,000 to hire eight police officers.

The money is part of more than $7 million secured by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, that will be spread out over 10 police departments to help hire 59 officers.

Austintown will receive $250,000 to hire two officers.

The money comes from the federal government’s Community Oriented Police Program, or COPS and is a three-year grant.

Youngstown Police Chief Robin Lees said the money will allow the city to hire new officers to replace officers who have either retired or will be promoted.

The department already has a list of candidates to hire because it gave a civil service test earlier this year, and is in the process now of studying applications and grading the test.

“We think we have great candidates,” Lees said.

Having more officers on hand means Lees can continue the city’s Community Police Unit, where officers from the patrol division are each assigned to one of the city’s seven wards.

“We’re really excited about it [the grant],” Lees said. “We can continue to do our community police program and do some extra hiring.”

Lees said that with the retirements and promotions on the horizon, the department was set to hire anyway, but the grant money allows it to hire and extra officer or two to keep up the ranks in the future.

Lees does not have an exact timetable for when the new officers will be hired, other than the end of the year.