Suitor happy to be back in Youngstown

By Senior Contributing Writer Benjamin Joe

The former police chief for the Town of Niagara is taking the reins of the Village of Youngstown Police Department as police chief for the second time.

Police Chief James Suitor talked about his history as a native-born son of the Village of Youngstown, where he had his first job as a police officer in New York, before moving on to the Town of Niagara, where he eventually headed its department for about 20 years.

Suitor was asked to head up the Youngstown Police Department in August. He had held the role in 2021 to help create policies and update the department for state compliance, and was asked to do some consulting for the village along those lines.

“There was the Policing Act of 2021 discussion, my old policies and procedures discussions. There is an audit forthcoming in October. I was being consulted prior to being offered the policing position just because I had a vast array of knowledge previously, not only as the police chief of the Village of Youngstown, but also as the 22-year police chief of the Town of Niagara,” he said.

His first go-around as Youngstown’s police department head was not long – and wasn’t meant to be, Suitor said. At the time, Suitor was still in Niagara and, after a year as the police chief in two municipalities and with his job done to bring the village’s department into compliance, it was too time-consuming to fill both roles.

These days, however, Suitor is employed at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center as its emergency manager and has some more time on his hands.

“I retired from policing altogether,” he said in a phone call, noting that, this time, things would be different. “I live much closer now – I live just outside the village – and obviously I’m no longer running a full-time police department – the Town of Niagara. I do have availability, and I hope to continue guiding the police department into the near future.”

Youngstown has always been special to Suitor. “Born and raised” in the village, his extended family live around and in Youngstown, including his brother, Steven Suitor, who now sits on the Village of Youngstown Board of Trustees.

Politics, however, were not part of offering him the job, Suitor said, noting a previous administration hired him and today he feels the job is more of a “rehire” than a “new hire.”

“Politics played no factor in it, whatsoever,” Suitor said. “Because I certainly believe I am qualified, as I was previously, to be the chief. And I’m very thankful, regardless of any inquires that are made, I’m thankful the village trustees thought that I can assist them, and that’s what I’m here for: assist the village trustees and also here to assist the village residents.”

Suitor said he’ll engage with residents through social media, articles like this one, and quarterly focus groups.

“I am working with the Village Board on foundational issues of the police department such as working with the residents to establish a needs assessment of law enforcement expectation to insure their quality-of-life needs are met,” Suitor said.