Youngstown chief faces council questions on crime uptick

YOUNGSTOWN — Facing an uptick in violent crime in the city, members of the council's safety committee had one question for Police Chief Robin Lees on Thursday: Why?

So far this year, there have been 24 homicides in the city, compared to 20 overall in 2019. According to WKBN, there have been at least 30 shootings so far in October.

Councilman Jimmy Hughes — himself a former city police chief — said the officials can identify where and what crimes happen. However, the city does not know why it is happening.

"Until we get to why, until we go after the why, we're never going to slow [crime] down," Hughes said.

Lees told the committee that Youngstown, like most urban areas, is experiencing an increase in crime, saying the increase in crime is a national problem.

"You don't have to go any further than Warren, which has had a record number of murders this year, to see this is a problem," Lees said.

There are several attributing factors to the increase in crimes, he said noting the term "COVID aggression" is being used to describe people who are stuck inside for too long and are experiencing restlessness because of the pandemic.

He added that city officers might also not be as proactive due to the national climate and the criticism of the police, which is also a national problem, Lees said.

"Nobody wants to be the star of the next viral video so I think in a lot of cases the officers have not been quite as proactive as they would have been otherwise," Lees said.

There was also a spike in crime in Youngstown at the end of 2018. Going into 2019, the department began working with state and federal agencies and with enhanced patrols, criminal activity decreased by the end of 2019.

At the start of 2020, the department sought to continue to work with state and federal agencies, but the pandemic put many of those operations on hold.

"We went through a series of postponements, [but] we had to basically shut it down and that included our operations," Lees said.

During Labor Day weekend, YPD did work with state and federal agencies to conduct Operation Red-Zone. Those srrested with an illegal firearm would be prosecuted in federal court and face up to 10 years in the Federal Correctional Institution in Victorville, Calif.

Staffing was reduced due to COVID-19 cases within the department, Lees said. Added to that were retirements and the inability to hire people during the pandemic. YPD also moved officers to different areas to help fill gaps.

Lees said the department also continues to look for more grants and funding to help expand on successful programs, such as the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence.

Councilwoman Anita Davis said if programs like CIRV are successful, then more money needs to be found to expand them.

Hughes said the city can work to remove guns from the street, but it will not result in a reduced amount of crime. He said programs like community policing and CIRV allow officers to talk to people in the city, identify problems and help identify why crime occurs.

"Put them both together, let them work and expand upon them," Hughes said. "I think you're going to see better results."

This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 4:36 AM with the headline "Youngstown chief faces council questions on crime uptick."