Chief Robin Lees ousted at Youngstown Police Department

Chief Robin Lees has been ousted from his position at the Youngstown Police Department.

Lees will be leaving the position on January 15. According to Mayor Tito Brown, that's when he will accept Lees' letter of "retirement."

However, Lees said leaving now was not part of his plan. Lees said, Brown wants to take the department in a different direction and, "I'm not part of it."

Lees continued by saying he knows the position of police chief is an appointed one and changes are always possible.

"Was this my plan? No," said Lees. "You come with grace and you go with grace."

"After meeting with the Chief to map out a Police Policy for Youngstown in a new era, it is clear that as Mayor, The Chief and I acknowledge there are different strategies and different philosophies of police work and I have chosen to move in a different direction," said Mayor Brown. "I said, 'Well Chief, I'm looking for, I want to see body cameras in 2021. He wasn't against that it was just a matter of how fast and how soon that would happen. I talked more about community policing, I wanted my community to really know my police. I wanted them to know the officers in the cars."

Brown also explained a vision for more social and mental health services.

"I want to develop a new strategy for innovative community involvement for safety and security for all Youngstown residents. I have a vision for the development of community-based policing that will require more interaction with social services, mental health services and extensive training that focuses on the needs of the citizens of Youngstown," said Brown.

Lees says he feels the department has done well through community policing and the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence. And said, that while he is in favor of expanding these types of resources further, it can't be done at the expense of basic police services, particularly when certain levels of violence are taking place in the city.

"It's not about funding. This conversation was not about what we are doing as far as funding. We want to make sure we fund our men and women to the best of their ability," said Brown. "I think it's about reorganizing where our men and women are placed."

And Brown explains that part of that means being more visible to the public.

"I want to see more of a social media presence. I want to see more of a community communication presence. I want to hear from the chief when there is an issue going on, not 4-5 days later. I want my chief to be outfront, maybe at the scene making sure people get a sense of comfort," said Brown.

According to the mayor, he will be looking for an Interim Chief while "conducting an extensive search for a person ready to face the challenges of a new era."

Brown says that search may include both internal and external candidates.

"I greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication Chief Lees has provided to my administration and the citizens of Youngstown," said Mayor Brown. "Chief has worked throughout the ranks and has handled every conceivable circumstance that a Chief could face in his career and has done so with dignity, fairness and resolve. I want to personally thank Chief Lees for his efforts working on behalf of the administration and for his years of service."