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WARREN -- City Council passed a resolution Wednesday asking the state and federal government to declare the city in a state of emergency because of the increasing drug overdose deaths from 2013 through 2016.
With the passage of the legislation, the city joined Trumbull County commissioners seeking additional money and resources to battle increased drug use and deaths in the county. Commissioners passed a similar resolution last month.
"As we learned in the past, we cannot arrest our way out of this," Councilman Eddie Colbert, D-at large, said. "We would be lying to our residents if we tell them that hiring 12 to 14 new police officers will curb the addiction problem. It will not."
The councilman said it must be a multi-pronged approach, using increased law enforcement, adding more treatment facilities and education to prevent the growth of another generation of people using drugs.
"We need more resources and money," Colbert said. "We need more than any local city or county government can provide."
Colbert is asking Ohio Gov. John Kasich to dip into the state's $2 billion rainy day fund to provide funds to pay for this state of emergency.
Councilman Alford Novak, D-2nd Ward, said council's resolution should be sent not only to Kasich, but to every candidate running for governor.
County Commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa, Frank Fuda and Dan Polivka, and former mayor and State Rep. Michael J. O'Brien, D-Warren, were at Wednesday's council meeting to show unity with the city.
Cantalamessa said the area is on pace to have 170 overdose deaths and 1,000 overdoses in 2017.
"We have an opioid epidemic in which we are losing people left and right," Cantalamessa said.
O'Brien suggested drug traffickers should be registered just as sex offenders are registered.
rsmith@tribtoday.com