Pittsburgh Police

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Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Established 1857
Jurisdiction Municipal
Sworn 950+
Stations 6 [1]
Chief Nathan Harper

The Pittsburgh Police, or officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania. The modern force of salaried and professional officers was founded in 1857 but dates back to the night watchmen beginning in 1794, and the subsequent day patrols in the early 1800s, in the then borough of Pittsburgh.

Contents

[edit] Organization

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is part of the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety and is headed by Chief Nathan Harper appointed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and approved by City Council. The Chief of Police is the top law enforcement agent of the city of Pittsburgh. In the Chiefs council are the positions of

  • Deputy Chief of Police Bureau
  • Chief of Staff Pittsburgh Police
  • Public Affairs Manager Pittsburgh Police
  • Legal Advisor to Pittsburgh Police

Reporting directly through the Deputy Chief of Police to the Chief are the three active units of the Police Bureau: Operations, Investigations, and Administration. Each one is headed by an Assistant Chief.

[edit] Operations Unit

Headed by the Assistant Chief of Operations, this unit is the most visible arm of the Pittsburgh Police Bureau. It consists six zones (the updated form of precincts) with each zone being supervised by the zone commander, as well as all zone patrol and response operations, SWAT, Traffic patrol, and Impound. This is also the unit that does community policing.

The six Pittsburgh Police zones are:

  • Zone One: Northside
  • Zone Two: Downtown, Hill District, Strip District, Lawrenceville
  • Zone Three: Southside, Beltzhoover, Carrick, St. Clair Village, Arlington Heights
  • Zone Four: Universities, Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside
  • Zone Five: East Liberty, East End, Homewood
  • Zone Six: West End

If you wish to find out which zone you live in, you can check this list of neighborhoods or this map.

[edit] Investigations Unit

Headed by the Assistant Chief of Investigations Maurita Bryant, this unit overlays the operations staff with the detective and inspector corps of the Police Bureau. It's detective divisions are broken down into the following:

  • Auto taskforce
  • Arson Squad
  • Burglary Squad
  • Crime Stoppers
  • Crime Scene Investigators
  • Dignitary & Witness Security
  • Forfeiture
  • Gang Task Force
  • Homicide Squad
  • Missing Persons
  • Narcotics
  • Night Felony Squad
  • Nuisance Bar Task Force
  • Pawn
  • Robbery Squad
  • Sex Assault/Domestic Violence Squad
  • Financial Crimes Task Force

[edit] Administration Unit

Headed by the Assistant Chief of Administration, this is the least visible unit of the bureau but one that is possibly the most essential. It consists of eight major divisions.

  • Intel (Crime Analysis)
  • Police Academy/Training
  • Personnel & Finance
  • School Patrol
  • Special Events Logistics
  • Warrant Office
  • Records
  • Property Room

[edit] Ranks of the Pittsburgh Police

  • Chief of Police
  • Deputy Chief
  • Assistant Chiefs (3)
  • Commanders (9)
  • Lieutenants
  • Sergeants
  • Detectives
  • Officers (900+)

[edit] Structure

  • Nate Harper - Chief of Police
  • Paul Donaldson - Deputy Chief
  • Regina McDonald - Assistant Chief (Administration)
  • William Bochter - Assistant Chief (Operations)
  • Maurita Bryant - Assistant Chief (Investigations)
  • Cathy McNeilly - Commander (Zone 1 - North Side)
  • George Trosky - Commander (Zone 2 - Hill District)
  • Larry Ross - Commander (Zone 3 - South Side)
  • Kathy Degler - Commander (Zone 4 - Squirrel Hill)
  • RaShall Brackney - Commander (Zone 5 - East Liberty)
  • Scott Schubert - Commander (Zone 6 - SDD / West End)
  • Thomas Stangrecki - Commander (Major Crimes)
  • Cheryl Doubt - Commander (Narcotics & Vice)
  • Linda Barone - Commander (Support Services)

[edit] Modern era

[edit] Unique hat bands

The Pittsburgh police wear hats with checkered bands, popularly known as the 'Sillitoe Tartan' and named after its originator, Percy J. Sillitoe, Chief Constable of Glasgow, Scotland in the 1930s. While the checkered band is a common police symbol in the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries in Europe, the Chicago Police Department and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police are the only police forces in the United States that have adopted it as part of their police officer uniforms.

[edit] Pittsburgh Police Medals

The Pittsburgh Police have several honors and medals.

[edit] Demographics[1]

  • Male: 75%
  • Female: 25%
  • White: 75%
  • African-American/Black: 25%

[edit] Fictional portrayals

The Pittsburgh Police have been featured in many television and film portrayals. Among them:

[edit] Television

  • Hill Street Blues (What is now Pittsburgh's Zone 2 station was the inspiration for the show)
  • COPS seven episodes in the 90's, several others in the mid 2000s
  • The X Files
  • Smith (World Premier)
  • The Guardian
  • Sirens mid-90's Cinemax series about female Pittsburgh Police officers.
  • The Kill Point 2007 cable show in which the Pittsburgh Police and the FBI attempt to handle a bank robbery that turns into a hostage situation,

[edit] Film

  • Desperate Measures Pittsburgh Police double for San Franciscans as Andy Garcia hunts a demented Michael Keaton.
  • Dawn of the Dead Pittsburgh Police--among others--mount a defense against zombies in this political satire against "mall culture"
  • Sudden Death Pittsburgh Police and SWAT respond to the U.S. Vice President being held hostage at the Stanley Cup Finals at Mellon Arena.
  • Striking Distance Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker play Pittsburgh police officers.
  • Screwed a comedy about a shrewd Pittsburgh Police detective and a kidnapping gone crazy.
  • Wonder Boys a "Boy Scout" hounds Michael Douglas' character in the morning hours at the professor's house.
  • Hoffa a motorcycle cop in 1960's urban America pulls over Danny DiVito's character outside of Gateway Center.
  • Boys on the Side Pittsburgh Police chase down Drew Barrymore.
  • Inspector Gadget Pittsburgh gets recast as "Riverton" as the Police go high tech.
  • RoboCop Though set as Detroit, it is Pittsburgh Police that offer the backdrop for the film.
  • Land Of The Dead even though filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, locations in movie are to appear as Pittsburgh.

[edit] See also

Pennsylvania Portal


[edit] References

  1. ^ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers

[edit] External links