In State of City address, Mayor Brown discusses ways to help the city police department
In his State of the City address, Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown thanked Akron Children's Hospital, RISE Recovery and Trivium for sharing the expansion news at their facilities within the Valley.
Brown talked about improving the mental health needs in the community, and how to get mental health care professionals to work with the city police department, to be better equipped to help those in need in pour community.
According to Brown, about one-third of the daily calls to the police department don't need law enforcement professionals but are called to assist with mental health callouts. Brown said he wanted to get help from mental health professionals so "this is not a call to send SWAT, but someone is crying out for help." Brown said he wants to make sure the police department has the help it needs as far as citizens needing mental health care.
Brown spoke of creating a division in the city called the Community Engagement and Equity Division. He wants the division to help reduce violence, and to work with Youngstown State University on "how to become a better community, and a better government."
Brown said the police department is facing a crisis in the retention and recruitment of law enforcement. Brown said that while the entry pay has been raised, and give more money to the seasoned officers to train the new recruits. Brown said that Police Chief Carl Davis and the mayor's office came up with the idea to begin advertising for law enforcement. Brown also announced that the civil service test to apply to become a police officer will now be offered multiple times per year, instead of once per year.
Brown said the 20 offices are currently wearing body cameras, and that more body cameras will be issued this year. The initial pilot program will be expanded to 118 officers on the force.
Brown also said that more than 200 guns have been taken off the streets within the city in the last year.
Brown also talked about being one of eight mayors across the United States of the Harvard Bloomberg Mayor Institution for City Design which meets weekly to discuss how to design cities and gets expert advice on poverty, community, and more.
During the Good Morning, Youngstown portion of the program, Paul Olivier, Vice President of Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley shared information about the emergency room at its facility has been overcapacity and is looking to expand up to 30 rooms - while currently working out of 17 rooms - and expanding to three behavioral rooms from just one, with additional counseling rooms as well.
The $30 million project is being sponsored by area banks and foundations, and personal donations. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.
Michael Wood, plant manager for Trivium Packaging in Youngstown, which was formerly Exal, announced it is investing nearly $40 million it the Youngstown facility in the next two to three years, which will include new line improvements, improvements to the building and its current assets. Trivium makes metal packaging for food, and according to Wood, the demand in sustainable packing is growing worldwide, leading to the need for expansion. Trivium will also need an additional 100 employees in the next two to three years and will continue to partner with local schools and colleges to fill the openings.
Maria Kowal, Chief Medical Officer from ONE Health Ohio, spoke on the facility's new RISE Recovery outpatient services program and spoke of the increasing drug abuse that has risen significantly in recent years. She said that drug abuse typically occurs from early teenage years through people in their 70s. ONE Ohio Health operates in Youngstown, Warren, Newton Falls, and in Alliance.
