Youngstown City Council grills new police chief
Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- City council members Anita Davis and Jimmy Hughes offered praise and support to new police Chief Carl Davis -- at the end of a nearly two-hour grilling by council's safety committee.
Five council members, during a Thursday safety committee session, quizzed the chief hard on his plans to acquire body cameras and how he will improve the police department's transparency and community engagement.
"Welcome to the crazy zone," said Anita Davis, who had 35-plus years with the police department. She told the new chief: "You're going to be pulled and prodded," but to "put the city first before the police department."
Then she told Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, "You made a good choice."
"I think you are well qualified for the job," said Hughes, who also once served as Youngstown's police chief.
At the start of the session, Chief Davis gave a brief rundown of ways the department is changing, including the transfer of Malik Mostella from road patrol to a new position as liaison to the city's Community Initiative to Prevent Violence.
He's been on the job about six days and has started to work with a community member to bring back Midnight Basketball to the city as a way to reduce crime by offering something constructive for young people.
Also, he has moved Detective Sgt. Jose Morales Jr. from the detective bureau to internal affairs to start the department's body camera program. The chief and Morales have met with one body camera vendor so far and are in the learning mode.
Morales said body cameras "enhance accountability, not only for our officers but also accountability for members of the community that we serve every day." He added, "It's no secret that when cameras are on, both sides tend to behave better, which I think will reduce the number of citizen complaints and use of force reports."
The chief said he could not give a time frame when the body cameras will be up and running, but he hoped it would be three to four months.
Morales said the department will apply for grants to help with the cost. The department wants to purchase one body camera for each of its 150 officers. The storage of the videos will likely cost $50,000 to $100,000 per year, Morales said.
SOME PUSHBACK
But the news of transfers of Morales and Mostella triggered some not-so-welcoming remarks.
Hughes said he thinks it would have been appropriate to seek input from council or the public before going forward with the basketball idea.
Councilman Julius Oliver, who is considering a run for mayor, asked of Chief Davis and Mostella: "Did you send out letters, talk to block watch leaders? Or was it a circumvention of council as usual?"
The mayor said meetings are being set up with each council member to discuss policing, including meetings held with two council members earlier Thursday.
Council member Lauren McNally wanted to know whether the personnel changes involved creation of a new position. It did, the chief agreed, but Hughes and Anita Davis pointed out the chief has the authority to make those types of changes without permission from council.
McNally also wanted to know whether having officers being involved in midnight basketball would pull resources from street patrol or result in overtime.
Mostella said the police department would not run the basketball program, only assist with it. Officers might coach.
After the new chief said his department has 191 officers and civilian employees, Anita Davis said the department is "top heavy."
WHAT CHANGED
Oliver wanted to know from Brown "what changed" to cause him to replace former chief Robin Lees.
"I think for us the world has changed. The culture we live in has changed, and we have to change with it," the mayor said. "I want the chief to really be engaged in social and mental health when we get the calls for service.
"But I also want the police to go into the neighborhoods not just when there's crime," he said. "I want the beat officers to know who's in that neighborhood. I want them to know their name and vice-versa."
The chief said he believes getting the department involved in social media and involving churches will help.
He said having detectives update the family of the victim in a homicide "every step of the way" would be one good way to improve transparency because during his time in the internal affairs division, he heard a lot of complaints about that.
Councilwoman Davis urged Chief Davis to provide an annual report and make it available to the public and include internal affairs issues.
"That is something I would embrace," he said.
Hughes offered Chief Davis advice not to "chase the numbers" of homicides and don't "chase the guns."
Instead, "Once you get rid of the reason people use guns, you will reduce violent crime. Attack that."
erunyan@tribtoday.com