The Pittsburgh City Police led by Zone 3 Commander William Joyce were well-represented at the 16th Ward Arlington Block Watch meeting at St. Henry Church Hall on Jan. 12.
Joyce introduced the new Zone 3 community problem-solving officers — Bob Miller and Eric Kroll — to the audience.
Joyce said the “part one” crime statistics went up in September, shortly after Zone 3 in the South Side merged with Zone 4 in the West End. But “things have settled down” since then, according to the commander who noted crime was down slightly in October and November in most Zone 3 census tracts in comparison to those months in the previous year.
Joyce was also happy to report that as of Jan. 1 (when the new public safety budget went into effect), Zone 3 has been able to beef up its manpower for the crucial 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. “split-shift.” There are as many as 21 officers on duty on this shift several nights per week. There is also an extra split-shift supervisor on duty during this time when criminal activity occurs most often.
The commander said a great deal of progress has been made in curbing crime in Allentown, Knoxville and Beltzhoover, the areas where crime has been most prevalent in Zone 3. Much of this crime stems from drug-related problems.
“We have been aggressively targeting those areas and it’s had a positive effect,” said Joyce, noting that “upper echelon” drug dealers have been apprehended as well as “street-level” dealers.
“It’s been working well,” Joyce said. “If there are any concerns or complaints in your area, please call us.”
Ward president Debbie Neumeyer said the business district on Arlington Ave., between St. Henry’s Church and a neighborhood savings & loan, is where most of the criminal activity in the neighborhood is going on and it needs to be addressed.
Joyce said the city police no longer have to work under the strict guidelines of the federal consent decree which set up a citizens review board in the late 1990s.
“It compelled us to change our methods,” Joyce said.
However, he said the police still act more cautiously and purposefully even without the consent decree.
“There are reasons why we approach things in a certain way,” said Joyce, noting the police have a challenging job trying to determine when to act aggressively against a high-crime area and when to take a less-aggressive approach.
Commander Joyce suggested to the people in the audience to sign up for the citizens/police academy program to better understand why the police operate the way they do. Those who complete the nine-week training, which meets one weekday night per week for several hours, are usually allowed to ride with two patrolmen for one hour during a regular shift.
Joyce said going for that ride really opened the eyes of one citizen who personally witnessed an incident during his ride. The citizen witnessed the police officers confronting a very irrational person during a neighborhood disturbance.
“The guy admitted that going through the academy, he still felt that what he was getting from the training ‘was sometimes just a lot of talk,'” Joyce said. “But when he went out with the officers, he witnessed first-hand the very difficult situations our officers face every day.”
In a related matter, Neumeyer said the block watch is seeking residents to sign up for an emergency training course that is scheduled for Feb. 9. As of last week, there were still openings available among the 25 slots allowed. Anyone interested can contact Neumeyer at 412-481-6408.
Commander Regina McDonald who heads the city’s narcotics/vice impact squad also addressed the group. McDonald explained that this aspect of city law enforcement has made progress in curbing drug-dealing throughout the city, making it an undesirable destination for dealers from Philadelphia and New York City who want to do business here.
McDonald said her staff also investigates the source of every illegal gun that it confiscates while working closely with the federal ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau). The impact squad also works with other federal law enforcement agencies such as the DEA, FBI and attorney general’s office.
She also said the federal “Weed and Seed” program has also been successful in parts of the city. The goal of the Weed and Seed program is to weed out drug trafficking from a neighborhood while sowing the seeds for successful business enterprises in the community.
McDonald also talked about the impact squad’s effort to clamp down on those who violate their privileges in the Section 8 housing program. The city police automatically inform the Housing Authority when a Section 8 renter is arrested for drug possession so that the lease is revoked and the arrestee is evicted.
McDonald said the impact squad also has a way of dealing with renters who are not part of the Section 8 program, but she did not want to give away the approach the police take against that problem.
Finally, new Zone 3 crime-prevention officer Christine Luffey was introduced to the block watch group.
Luffey, an 11-year veteran of the police department, previously worked as the crime-prevention officer at Zone 4. She replaces Dan McQuillan in Zone 3. McQuillan retired last month.
“I have worked on a lot of quality-of-life issues that a lot of other police officers don’t have the time to deal with,” Luffey said. “If there is a problem you want me to help you with, I’ll make the time to get involved. Don’t hesitate to call me. I always return calls.”
Her number at the Zone 3 station is 412-488-8425.
Luffey has earned a reputation as a strong advocate for animal rights. Each year since 1998, she has organized a fund-raiser to help one of the animal shelters in the city.
Luffey announced that she is holding a “Biscuit Bingo” on Saturday, March 20 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the St. Pamphilus Church on Tropical Ave. in Beechview. The proceeds from the event will go to Animal Friends, a shelter in the Strip District known for finding homes for abandoned animals.
Luffey told the audience about one of her most recent rescues of an injured animal.
In October, the owner of a dog allowed their pet to dart onto Brownsville Road near the McDonald’s in Knoxville. The dog suffered a broken pelvis. Luffey said the owner wanted the dog to be “put to sleep” because they could not afford the medical bills for the dog. But Officer Luffey took matters into her own hands and with the help of a “Good Samaritan,” they were able to transport the dog to a veterinarian facility where the animal was saved. The medical bill was $2,000, paid through a number of sources. After several months of an inactive recovery period, the dog is up for adoption.
Luffey said she is in the process of filing charges against the person who gave up ownership of the injured dog. The reasons for the charges include allowing the dog to run free without a leash in heavy traffic as well as not having a city dog license or proof of proper vaccinations that are legally required.