<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"As they make regular patrols through the Cincinnati police district covering Avondale, Bond Hill, Roselawn and seven other neighborhoods, officers Michael Donald and Charles Utley always hear the same answer when they ask, \"Why'd you do it?\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"I can't get a job because of my record,\" the offenders answer.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Looking two years ago to start a side business as a hedge against possible police layoffs - Donald and Utley were among 250 police officers let go in Cleveland in 2004 - they focused their idea on helping former criminals who'd been jailed.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0On patrol one day, they noticed that Howdy Car Wash, which had been open since 1950 on Reading Road in Paddock Hills, had closed and was for sale. They bought the property in late July 2011, made $22,000 in improvements and opened a month later. Back in business for a little more than a year, Howdy has 12 employees making $8 an hour and is about to hire its 13th.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"This is our way of giving back,\" said Utley, 42, originally from Toledo and now living in Golf Manor. \"We thought about what we could do to reduce crime.\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Utley, Donald and Donald's wife, Marchelle, who runs the business, have not made any money from the car wash. \"Our first goal,\" added Donald, 47, of Colerain Township, \"is pretty simple: Get them off the street, give them a job and help them become more productive citizens.\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Need is great for jobs for people with felony records. Ohio prisons release an average of 2,100 inmates back to Hamilton County each year, mixing with the county's roster of about 5,000 felony probationers - criminals convicted of serious crimes but sentenced to probation instead of prison.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Anthony White, 41, unemployed since 2003, has worked at Howdy since February and says he has never been more productive.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0He'd filled out countless job applications, but prospective employers couldn't get around his multiple felony convictions that included grand theft auto and drug trafficking. Off and on, he'd go back to the streets to sell drugs but didn't get caught.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Then White applied for a job at Howdy Car Wash. He'd heard the owners give ex-cons a chance. \"They've helped me get on the right track,\" White said.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0The ride hasn't been smooth, for either White or his employers. \"I was leery of working for cops,\" White said. \"Then I realized they are just people, good people.\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"I fired him and kicked him off the property in the beginning,\" Michael Donald said.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"I brought him back,\" Marchelle Donald, 42, said. \"I had a long talk with him.\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"I wasn't listening and wasn't being part of the team,\" White said. \"I wanted to do everything my own way.\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Marchelle Donald's nurturing tough love is something White hadn't ever experienced. \"I do feel like their mother,\" she said. \"They all have my cell number. They all know they have to call me if they're going to be late. They're all learning how to work.\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0They're seeing the benefits.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"I'd never had a job this long,\" said White, who recently rented an apartment nearby for himself, his two young children and their mother. He works 15 to 25 hours a week and likes how it feels to pay his bills legally: \"I look forward to going to work.\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Burl McLachlan, 38, of Norwood likes the sense of self-worth that comes with honest work. He gets 30 hours a week at Howdy and can pay his rent and utility bills and otherwise support himself and his two young daughters. He served 10 years at Mansfield Correctional Institution for assaulting a police officer when he was 18.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"It's a rush to do a good job,\" said McLachlan, whose own work history is spotted with stops and starts related to his criminal record. \"Our bosses respect us here and get that respect back. If you do something wrong, they let you know, but it's not out of line.\"\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Rules are listed on a sheet inside the car wash. Customers are to be called \"sir\" or \"ma'am.\" Tips can be accepted, but, if as much as a nickel comes up missing from a car, \"We will fire you, and we will press charges,\" Michael Donald said.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"Attrition is high,\" Utley said.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Owners take pride in the successes of their employees, especially that of a man convicted of rape 13 years ago who today is among their longest-running and most productive employees.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0\"We believe people can change for the better,\" said Marchelle Donald, who had to be OK with hiring a sex offender.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Word on the street is Howdy is a good place to work. The owners recently hired a woman and two men without criminal records referred from a job fair.\u00A0\u00A0 \u00A0Cincinnati police chief James Craig likes what two of his officers are doing. \"It's noble on their part,\" he said. \"They see a need and are addressing it. It's really what community policing is all about. They're giving people a second chance who need a second chance."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wlwt.com/article/cincinnati-cops-buy-car-wash-give-ex-felons-2nd-chance/3526478>