Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- As the first anniversary of her appointment as Mahoning County prosecutor approaches, Gina DeGenova is dedicated to further developing her office's programs while upholding her primary standards.
"It's important for me to be available, accessible, and approachable," she said recently while reflecting on her first year as the county's top law enforcement official.
On Jan. 7, the Mahoning County Democratic Party's central committee appointed DeGenova over Brad Gessner, who works in the Summit County prosecutor's office, to fill former Prosecutor Paul Gains' unexpired four-year term, which ends Dec. 31, 2024, after he retired in November 2022.
DeGenova received 70 of the panel's 109 votes.
DeGenova's top priorities during her first year as the county prosecutor have been community outreach and engagement, along with expanding on a battery of programs already in place -- while also creating a few new ones, she noted.
Perhaps one of her most ambitious efforts is adding Hope, a rescue animal being trained as a therapy dog, as another resource to provide comfort, and aid in healing to victims of crime and their loved ones. The retriever, which she referred to as "our future comfort and therapy dog," should be certified and ready for the role by the first quarter of next year, DeGenova noted.
"I want to make victims' experiences (with the office and court system) as palatable as possible," she said.
The longtime lawyer also intends to start hosting monthly town hall meetings, beginning this month, throughout the county to give more residents a three-dimensional view of what the office provides and offers to the community. This will also allow citizens to voice their concerns. The sessions will be designed to explore additional ways to reduce crime in communities and help establish needed programs, DeGenova explained.
Similarly, the seasoned prosecutor plans to fit public speaking onto her plate by giving presentations to schools, Rotary and Lions clubs, churches, senior citizen centers and elsewhere. Along those lines, she hopes to educate older people about the many get-rich-quick schemes and other scams that target them -- in part, because that population tends to be more trusting toward others -- DeGenova said.
Another launch will be an initiative to combat human trafficking. This comes in lockstep with a special victims unit that deals with violence against women, children and those with special needs, along with elder and animal abuse, she noted.
DeGenova also is planning a self-defense program that will be geared toward providing the public with information regarding the importance of being vigilant and aware of their surroundings. In addition, the effort will offer hands-on training, as well as what to do if attacked.
In keeping with the theme of community engagement, the office has conducted in-service training sessions for police officers on matters such as making them privy to recent changes to Marsy's law, which Ohio voters approved in 2017 as a constitutional amendment and was codified this year.
The law established additional protections for crime victims and their families, as well as meaningful and enforceable rights equal to those of the accused, along with the right to privacy and possible compensation. Those rights include being treated with dignity and respect throughout criminal proceedings, being informed of their specific rights and being notified, present and heard during all such proceedings, according to www.marsyslaw.us
A tweak to the law that Gov. Mike DeWine signed in June requires police departments to assume that victims of crime seek privacy unless they state otherwise.
The prosecutor's office also plans to offer scholarships to Youngstown State University students, as well as firearms training, DeGenova said. The office has partnered with YSU; for their final project, a group of journalism students wrote papers about her office, she added.
In addition, her office will be sponsoring an art competition, with the theme of hope and healing in which submitted works will be evaluated and the winners' pieces will be placed on the walls in the victim-witness room as well as a nearby hallway, DeGenova explained.
Another component that DeGenova stresses with her staff is engaging in community volunteer projects and charity drives. An example of the latter was donating to the local Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a 9-year-old nonprofit organization that builds beds to ensure all children have a comfortable place to sleep.
DeGenova recalled that 10 members of her staff participated in a voluntary Build-a-Bed gathering last fall in Struthers. Twenty-five to 30 beds were constructed at the event, she remembered.
Regardless of the setting, event, or occasion, though, DeGenova says her underlying drive is quite simple, straightforward and unwavering.
"I'm passionate about helping people," she added.
news@vindy.com