Newbie councilman a crime fighter

Oakland’s newest City Council member is keeping his promises.

During his campaign for the… Oakland’s newest City Council member is keeping his promises.

During his campaign for the District 3 seat, Bruce Kraus said he’d push for more up-to-date technology for the police and put more police cars out on Pittsburgh streets.

Yesterday, Kraus, who chairs the Public Safety Services Committee, saw a unanimous passing of two preliminary bills to get that process started despite the fact he’s been in office just more than a month.

“There’s no time to waste,” he said. “We campaigned on safe, clean and green. It’s our mantra.

“I’m going to argue every time public safety’s a priority,” Kraus said. “It’s why I sought to chair this committee.”

The first resolution authorizes spending $289,905 to purchase two canine vehicles, three patrol vehicles and 22 mobile data computers and accessories.

The second agrees to purchase $150,036 in computer programs, installation, licenses and training to enhance or implement automated police systems.

Both bills will go to a final vote at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Sandy Ganster, Pittsburgh police’s manager of personnel and finance, said Kraus’s support has been helpful in getting these enhancements underway.

“We’re really happy,” she said. “The electronic citations are something we’ve been working on for some time.”

She said the improvements will make officers’ jobs much easier and more efficient.

The new system proposed by Kraus will be able to scan driver’s licenses and bring up any information on anyone an officer cites, making investigations easier.

The system will also automatically calculate people’s fines based on the violation.

“It’s all about efficiency,” Kraus said. “If you put a piece of paper in my hand I guarantee it’ll end up where it’s not supposed to be. This puts everything in an electronic data form.”

In addition to making his own issues happen, Kraus also volunteered to co-sponsor other council members’ bills yesterday.

Ricky V. Burgess, the new council member from District 9, proposed and passed a preliminary bill for the creation of a crime prevention trust fund, and Kraus, along with Councilwoman Darlene Harris, asked to be listed as a co-sponsor.

Some of the first funds contributed to the trust will come from restitution payments made by former District 9 Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle.

Carlisle was convicted recently of using city money for her own personal campaign fund and was this week sentenced to 12 to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay back the $43,100 she stole from the city.

“It’s real easy to jump on the bandwagon politically speaking when things are hitting the news,” Kraus said. “But we talked about this so much and for so long during the campaign especially given the hilltop neighborhoods I have, and gun violence is just consuming us.”

Burgess also proposed one of council’s final preliminary bills yesterday, which Kraus also asked to co-sponsor, to designate playwright August Wilson’s former home a Historic Structure.

While council seemed to support the idea, the item was deferred until the previously scheduled public hearing, set for Feb. 18.

“August Wilson is not one of Pittsburgh’s most famous artists,” Oakland Councilman Bill Peduto said. “He’s one of Pittsburgh’s most famous people.”

Council President Doug Shields agreed, saying Wilson’s significance is evidenced by the fact that it’s not every day that Broadway shuts off its light when a man dies.

While all of yesterday’s bills underwent preliminary votes, Kraus also had one of his bills pass Tuesday under final vote.

Council voted to support giving $2.2 million for the demolition of abandoned and condemned properties, beginning with 59 houses.

Kraus cited an instance where one abandoned house burned down, which in turn damaged or destroyed many houses around it, and said this bill is to prevent future hazards to public safety.