The mayor wants to be sure money is in place to continue the sweep beyond 30 days.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — Mayor Jay Williams said he was recently driving on Glenwood Avenue when he saw city police running radar.
"The police radar was pointed at my vehicle," Williams said.
The mayor recognized that he was going a bit too fast and slowed down. The message, he said, is "the law applies to all of us."
Williams said people he knows who have been cited by police under a zero-tolerance policy say "they feel more empowered, they feel more safe." The crackdown went into effect after the execution-style slaying of four people Jan. 29.
No one has been charged in the killings.
Second phase
The mayor said he will announce the second phase of the crackdown either today or Tuesday. He did not give details late Sunday.
He will, however, be meeting with Police Chief Jimmy F. Hughes and city Prosecutor Jay Macejko. Part of the announcement, he said, will include a look at recent crime statistics and a review of crime overall in the city.
Williams said he will also meet with city financial officials to make sure the city has the money in place to continue the sweep beyond 30 days.
He will also meet with state and federal law enforcement agencies and officials, including Gregory A. White, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and representatives of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The agencies have a number of initiatives that could become involved in the crackdown.
This crackdown isn't for show; the effort to reduce crime "will be sustained," the mayor said.
On Sunday, Youngstown police released initial statistics on the first zero-tolerance phase. From Feb. 2 to 2 p.m. Sunday there have been:
28 felony and 110 misdemeanor arrests.
12 firearms and $6,598 in cash recovered.
25 minor misdemeanor citations issued.
547 traffic stops and 124 stops of pedestrians.
261 traffic citations issued, and 39 parking tickets.
New attitude
Williams said he learned of another benefit of the crackdown while talking to patrol officers. Some officers told him they had become discouraged after years of dealing with crime. Williams, who praised the officers, said, "There's a new sense of vigor on the force."
Williams said he was confident that serious offenders will be held in Mahoning County Jail while those with lesser offenses will not be jailed.
The city soon will have designated jail space for offenders from Youngstown. The mayor did not know the number of beds for inmates, but said the pending agreement to end overcrowding at the jail would help in the city's crackdown.
While the killings opened the year on a dark note, the mayor said he expects the year to end with a safer city.
Crime aside, the mayor said he sees positive changes. People continue to come to the Chevrolet Centre for entertainment and to city restaurants, he said.
wilkinson@vindy.com
Monday, February 12, 2007
The mayor wants to be sure money is in place to continue the sweep beyond 30 days.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — Mayor Jay Williams said he was recently driving on Glenwood Avenue when he saw city police running radar.
"The police radar was pointed at my vehicle," Williams said.
The mayor recognized that he was going a bit too fast and slowed down. The message, he said, is "the law applies to all of us."
Williams said people he knows who have been cited by police under a zero-tolerance policy say "they feel more empowered, they feel more safe." The crackdown went into effect after the execution-style slaying of four people Jan. 29.
No one has been charged in the killings.
Second phase
The mayor said he will announce the second phase of the crackdown either today or Tuesday. He did not give details late Sunday.
He will, however, be meeting with Police Chief Jimmy F. Hughes and city Prosecutor Jay Macejko. Part of the announcement, he said, will include a look at recent crime statistics and a review of crime overall in the city.
Williams said he will also meet with city financial officials to make sure the city has the money in place to continue the sweep beyond 30 days.
He will also meet with state and federal law enforcement agencies and officials, including Gregory A. White, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and representatives of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The agencies have a number of initiatives that could become involved in the crackdown.
This crackdown isn't for show; the effort to reduce crime "will be sustained," the mayor said.
On Sunday, Youngstown police released initial statistics on the first zero-tolerance phase. From Feb. 2 to 2 p.m. Sunday there have been:
28 felony and 110 misdemeanor arrests.
12 firearms and $6,598 in cash recovered.
25 minor misdemeanor citations issued.
547 traffic stops and 124 stops of pedestrians.
261 traffic citations issued, and 39 parking tickets.
New attitude
Williams said he learned of another benefit of the crackdown while talking to patrol officers. Some officers told him they had become discouraged after years of dealing with crime. Williams, who praised the officers, said, "There's a new sense of vigor on the force."
Williams said he was confident that serious offenders will be held in Mahoning County Jail while those with lesser offenses will not be jailed.
The city soon will have designated jail space for offenders from Youngstown. The mayor did not know the number of beds for inmates, but said the pending agreement to end overcrowding at the jail would help in the city's crackdown.
While the killings opened the year on a dark note, the mayor said he expects the year to end with a safer city.
Crime aside, the mayor said he sees positive changes. People continue to come to the Chevrolet Centre for entertainment and to city restaurants, he said.
wilkinson@vindy.com
Monday, February 12, 2007
Mayor Jay Williams said he was recently driving on Glenwood Avenue when he saw city police running radar.
"The police...
