New cops does not equal more cops

This week the city of Youngstown added six police officers but they still may be losing ground.

That's because seven officers are slated to retire next year and an additional three are eligible to retire and can do so if they want.

In Youngstown, the key buzzword is always more cops on the street, but under former Mayor Jay Williams, the city lost officers through attrition and did not replace them.

New Chief Rod Foley is in a bind because there are so many major crimes that he can't strip his investigative division for bodies to put on the street, so he is trying to be creative to get as many officers out on the road as possible.

Despite an uptick in homicides in the last couple of months, the crime rate in the city has gone down. Former Chief Jimmy Hughes can take some of the credit, and Foley clearly wants to keep the momentum going.

New Mayor Charles Sammarone said he also wants to hire more officers, but the city's hands may be tied by finances. So don't expect any more hires soon. The hope on Boardman Street is at the end of the day, the department doesn't lose more officers than it gains.