By Alex Sorrells / Jambar Contributor
As activity picks up downtown with Youngstown’s restaurant and entertainment options, the city is focusing on implementing safety procedures to ensure orderly conduct.
In July 2025, the city of Youngstown implemented a downtown safety action plan to address disorderly crowds and underage drinking.
In an interview with WFMJ earlier this year, Youngstown Police Chief Carl Davis said Hookah Lounge, now known as Sandbar and Grill, and The Social Bar & Tapas were disruptive hotspots over the summer, as he cited incidents as a strain on the department and its resources.
Youngstown State University President Bill Johnson also said YSU students who are caught being disruptive will face repercussions on campus.
Joy Polkabla Byers, interim vice president of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, said the plan focuses on mainly increased police presence, stricter enforcement of ordinances and coordination between downtown departments and YSU.
“This has always been in place … [and] many students don’t understand that. There have been incidents where students have gotten into trouble downtown and not understood how that impacts YSU,” Polkabla Byers said. “We don’t go searching, but when we see police reports, or we are informed of a behavior of a student that violates The Student Code of Conduct, we will act upon it.”
Polkabla Byers said the university compares statistics regarding on-campus and off-campus incidents. Information regarding student conduct can be found in the student handbook.
“Students don’t always understand how those actions could impact their career, their applications into graduate school or post-secondary school,” Polkabla Byers said.
Betsy Johnson, assistant dean of students for Community Standards and Student Conduct, said there are two routes that can be taken depending on the severity and nature of the incident.
“There’s an informal route where it’s more like a coaching meeting, depending on the nature of the incident, where we just kind of talk to them about how this potentially can violate the code,” Betsy Johnson said. “Or it’ll go [through] a formal process, meaning that a student is given a violation of the code or given the due process. Sometimes there’s an investigation … depending on the nature of the incident, it could automatically go to a hearing board.”
Polkabla Byers said if a student disagrees with the outcome, they can appeal the violation or visit a hearing board.
“There’s a couple of different committees that are involved in helping to see success downtown,” Polkabla Byers said. “We continue to have a great working relationship with the city, whether it’s through the police or the office of the mayor or some different committees.”
Polkabla Byers encourages students to make safe decisions downtown, such as walking with a friend, returning home safely by a designated driver and removing oneself from potentially harmful situations.
“Have a plan if you’re drinking that somebody is sober because there are community members down there as well that are going to be down there,” Betsy Johnson said. “Just making sure you are aware of your surroundings and being safe. If you do see something, report it so that we can come and step in [and] intervene.”
Anyone who would like to file a report can visit the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct website.
