Support Services

MCSO had a total of 254 full-time employees as of December 2001. Of these, 244 are sworn law-enforcement officers and 10 are civilians. The department recruited, investigated, and selected 26 new deputies during the calendar year. All were subjected to in-depth background investigations, including drug, psychological, and polygraph testing.

Three separate 136-hour Basic Corrections Academies were conducted at the Justice Center in accordance with Ohio law and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. Forty-seven deputies received their training, required within the first year of their employment or assignment to jail duties. Additionally, in-service training classes were conducted over a ten-week period. Deputies received five days of refresher classes while support and contract employees received 16 hours of specialized training in jail-related topics. In total, 114 deputies and 34 non-sworn personnel participated in the refresher program.

MCSO prepared deputies and ranking officers for the State of Ohio to administer its first ever competitive state civil service exams for sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. Four members have been promoted to sergeant, one to lieutenant, and one to captain based on the certified eligibility list which will remain active for two years.

MCSO has initiated the process to become nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law-Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). Since 2001, 123 policies that comply with the national standards have been published and issued to all employees.

MCSO has installed a digital photo mug shot software and hardware system in the Justice Center and currently shares mug shots electronically with the Austintown, Boardman and Youngstown Police departments, along with the local FBI Fugitive and Violent Crimes Task Force. Plans are moving forward to share the electronic photographs and line-up software with all Mahoning County law-enforcement agencies and Courts.

Digital hardware and software is also in use at the Justice Center for the electronic "capture" of fingerprints. A ten-print live scan fingerprint capture station is linked to Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, which transmits all arrestee fingerprints to the FBI National AFIS fingerprint center electronically. The machine automatically "prints" the fingerprints locally on standard cards for manual filing and comparisons, eliminating the need for the inked process.

A countywide Multi-Jurisdictional Global Index Server (MGIS) hardware and software has been purchased and installed for MCSO to be able to link all inmate booking and custody records directly with all Mahoning County law enforcement agencies and Courts. High-speed phone lines have been installed, and plans are being developed to connect a number of sites with wireless links, thereby eliminating the need for reoccurring phone line charges. Once the network is operational, all courts and police agencies within the network will be able to exchange all of their records as part of an interactive criminal justice system. Simultaneously, state and federal grant dollars are being applied to the project while applications are underway seeking additional funding.

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