City Has Twins Days' Crowd Management 'Down To a Science'

Thousands of people flock to Twinsburg for the annual festival and the city has had plenty of experience keeping things running smooth

Starting Friday thousands of twins and their families will flock to Twinsburg as the 37th annual Twins Days Festival begins. While such an influx of people could create a lot of problems for the festival and the city, Sandy Miller, the festival's office manager said they have things "down pat." "If we don't know what we're doing now, we never will," Miller said jokingly. She said that after 37 years, the festival doesn't seem to hit any snags, even saying that the weekend runs "perfectly." One of the major aspects of keeping things running well is help from the Twinsburg Police Department. However, according to Chief Chris Noga, this family-friendly event doesn't bring much crime to the city. "I can't remember the last time we arrested …

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Twinsburg Signs Off on Solon Jail Agreement

Twinsburg would pay Solon $75 per day per prisoner to house them in the Solon jail.

Twinsburg green-lighted its end of an agreement to hous inmates at the Solon jail, if necessary. On Tuesday city council approved an agreement that would pay Solon $75 a day per inmate on an as needed basis. "We are not closing our jail,” Police Chief Chris Noga said. “If we closed it and tried to reopen it, it would be cost prohibitive.” The two-year deal says Twinsburg will pay Solon $75 per prisoner per day. A day counts as eight hours. Any prisoner who stays for less than a day will cost Twinsburg $42.50. The city would use Solon's full service facility for alternative housing, including females and speicial needs inmates, like diabetics. Solon's medical staff can offer more particular attention to certain needs. It would also create a…

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Outside Officers Hired to Keep DARE Program Going

Two police officers from Bainbridge Township will teach the program this year until a member of the Twinsburg force is certified

  When Joe Desante retired from the Twinsburg Police Department in 2010, he said he would work part time to continue the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program going for sixth graders at the Twinsburg City Schools. In 2011 Desante decided he would retire for good. His decision left Chief Chris Noga in a pickle: There was no one in his department able to take the reigns but he didn't want the students to miss a year of a program he felt was important. The solution? Look outside the community and bring in someone who can fill the gap for this year. On Tuesday city council approved the hiring of Brian Reardon and Raymond Arnold from the Bainbridge Township Police Department to teach the D.A.R.E. program for 2012, until one of Noga…

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New City Legislation Will Crack Down on Meth Labs

Ordinance would make property owners foot the bill for clean up of drug labs

  Police Chief Chris Noga said in his 15 years at Twinsburg, the city hasn't had a meth lab. But if one does pop up, Noga said he wants to be prepared for it. "They are very dangerous to deal with," Noga said. “It has to be cleaned up and cleaned up properly.” City council is expected to vote in the next few weeks on legislation that would regulate the clean up of clandestine drug labs, typically making methamphetamines. The financial burden of the clean up, which can be pretty steep, would be placed on the property owner. "There have been meth labs requiring houses to be demolished," Noga said. "It’s not a cheap proposition." Whenever a meth lab is uncovered, the clean up involves dangerous and hazardous materials, which can be expensive…

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Twinsburg Police Department Promotes a New Sergeant

Tom Mason was promoted to the position Tuesday morning, replacing Sgt. Marc Eleo, who is retiring

Twinsburg Police Chief Chris Noga proudly announced Tuesday night that Tom Mason was sworn in earlier that day as seargent for the Twinsburg Police Department. Mason will take over the role for Sgt. Marc Eleo, who is retiring in February. Mason, an 18 year veteran, currently serves in the detective bureau and lives in Twinsburg with his wife and twins. He will be publicly sworn in later this year, Noga said.

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No Major Accidents Reported from First Major Snow Storm

Police Chief Chris Noga said officers have been responding to call off-and-on since early this morning

The first big snow storm of the winter has caused problems for drivers in Twinsburg today, but according to Police Chief Chris Noga, there haven't been any major problems. "We've gotten calls for cars off the road and things like that, but it's typical when the weather gets like this," Noga said. Noga told Twinsburg Patch he didn't have any figures on the number of incidents due to the weather today, but that officers have been responding to calls off-and-on since early this morning. A lake-effect snow warning has been extended to 7 p.m. tonight by the National Weather Service, but they say it should start tapering off as the day goes on. The total accumulation for today could be up to three inches.

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Twinsburg Police Department Offers Halloween Safety Tips

Twinsburg Police Chief Chris Noga has some ways to keep your children safe during Monday's trick-or-treat

As Monday, Oct. 31 approaches (a.k.a. Halloween), your kids are probably anxiously awaiting the chance to don their brand new costumes and raid the neighborhood for all the treats they can plunder. Parents, however, might not be as excited about trick-or-treat because they worry for their children's safety. As Twinsburg celebrates Halloween by trick-or-treat from 6-8 p.m., Twinsburg Police Chief Chris Noga talked with Twinsburg Patch about ways to help your little witches and superheros to have a safe and fun Halloween. Make sure your child is visible. Prepare your kid with items such as a flashlight, glow bracelet or necklace, or flashing attire for visibility, especially with high amounts of foot and car traffic. "We want to make sure …

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Police Chief: New Officer Needed for Department

After spending less money, the Twinsburg Police Department can afford to bring on an additional officer

Police Chief: New Report Shows Twinsburg Is a 'Safe Community'

New data released from the FBI reveals city's crime rate holds steady

Many people believe Twinsburg is one of the safer communities in the area, and data recently released by the FBI confirms that. Early this week the bureau published the final, full version of the 2010 Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), containing crime data which every law enforcement agency in the country must submit on an annual basis. The numbers for Twinsburg (displayed below) don't show much change for Twinsburg since 2008, which Chris Noga, Twinsburg's police chief, attributes to a steady population. "The population hasn't grown that much," Noga said. "With population stabilizing and not many significant changes, it keeps your numbers on course." Noga said one of the most important numbers, violent crime, has decreased significantly over …

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