Pitt police protocol differs from city cops

The three officers who were killed on Saturday did not receive warning that Richard Poplawski,… The three officers who were killed on Saturday did not receive warning that Richard Poplawski, of Stanton Heights, owned weapons.

Pitt police officer Ron Bennett could not provide further comment on the miscommunication, as the investigation is still pending, but he explained that emergency calls to the Pitt police department operate differently.

A call made to 911 will put you in contact with a call-taker, who then sends the information electronically to a dispatcher who will send police response.

Inside the Pitt police station on 3412 Forbes Ave., however, there is a communications room where calls made directly to the Pitt police line (412-624-2121) are fielded.

A call-taker records the information from the caller and immediately contacts police officers in the area by radio, said Bennett.

Essentially, the Pitt police’s method of communication has cut out the middleman, where the communication issue in the Poplawski shooting occured.

Bennett would not say whether he felt the Pitt police’s method is better than the one used by city police. Robert Harvey, the 911 communications manager, could not be reached for comment.

Depending on where an incident occurs on campus, area police will respond to the scene.

‘The University is set up in sectors,’ said Bennett. There are six beat officers on foot who cover areas like the residence halls on Forbes Avenue, the Hillman Library block and the buildings on Ruskin Avenue.

Upper Campus, specifically by Sutherland Hall, is the only area without foot officers and instead relies on patrol cars, he said.

Patrol cars are assigned different sections of campus, said Bennett, and can be radioed for backup if needed.

The University and the city also have different laws for carrying weapons.

People who are 21 and have a proper permit are allowed to carry a concealed gun in Oakland, said Bennett.

However, once you step foot on Pitt property, he said, ‘it becomes a sanction against the University.

‘No one except police are allowed to carry weapons on campus,’ he said.

When a student commits a crime, either on- or off-campus, the Pitt police turn them over to Student Affairs to consider disciplinary action, said Bennett.

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