Pubdate: Thu, 20 Jul 2006
Source: Tribune Review (Pittsburgh, PA)
Copyright: 2006 Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/460
Author: Brian Bowling, Tribune-Review
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

MAYOR OPPOSES REDUCING SAFETY OFFICERS

Monroeville's mayor agrees with the police chief's plan  to convert a
juvenile officer position to a school  resource officer position but
still opposes the  department's reduction of its community safety program.

Mayor James Lomeo said stationing a police officer full  time at
Gateway High School is good for the school  district.

"But it doesn't solve the problem from our side. We  still only have
two police officers in the community  safety division when, until
April, we had three," he  said.

Technically, only two of the positions are community  safety officers;
the third is a related position  overseeing juvenile crimes. Community
safety officers  teach the anti-drug use DARE program in elementary
schools, work with neighborhood crime watch groups and  provide crime
prevention information to businesses and  residents.

Police Chief George Polnar decided to replace one of  the two
community safety positions with a patrol  position when a community
safety officer retired.

Assistant Chief Doug Cole said Monroeville has trimmed  its specialty
programs because it needs more patrol  officers to respond to an
average 50 calls each day.

"One of the things we've been trying to do is put more  people on the
streets," he said.

The department has reduced the traffic division --  which reconstructs
accidents -- from four to two  positions. The reduction of the
community safety  program follows a national trend toward increasing
the  interaction between police and older children.

"The trend across the country is to put police officers  in high
schools," Cole said.

The school resource officer can help the remaining  community safety
officer with DARE training, but the  community safety program will do
less, he said.

The municipality recently hired three new officers, but  the 52-person
department still has two fewer positions  than it did in 1997.

Monroeville is the only police department of its size  in the state
with two full-time community safety  officers and a full-time juvenile
officer, Cole said.

Gateway and Monroeville will share the $75,000 cost of  placing an
officer in the school. That cost-sharing  might free up enough money
for council to hire another  officer, Cole said.

Now is not the time to scale back drug and crime  prevention programs,
Lomeo said.

"We have had three full-time (officers) in community  safety for at
least nine years. Why cut back now, when  we should be proactive with
our children and young  adults?"

The municipality should have five officers handling  community safety
and juvenile crime, he said. Three  would be full time, and two would
patrol streets and  randomly visit schools. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake