Police get new station

The move for the Pitt Police into its new building on Forbes Avenue at Halket Street has… The move for the Pitt Police into its new building on Forbes Avenue at Halket Street has brought a new sense of optimism to the force.

“The new building has boosted the morale of the officers, they feel more a part of the department,” Officer Ron Bennett said. “We wanted to make a central place for public safety.”

The Pitt Police are located in the first three floors of the building, with Health and Safety on the fourth floor.

Many people didn’t even know the location of the previous headquarters of 26 years, hidden in the basement of Posvar Hall.

When asked about the perks of moving to new headquarters, Bennett answered immediately. “Now we have windows,” he said, speaking for the whole force. He said everyone was happy to get out of the basement and be able to work and exercise with windows around them.

The official starting date in the new building was Feb. 1, although they moved in late January.

The first floor has a MAC Machine and an emergency phone, both of which are always available and watched by a surveillance camera. During the day, there is a secretary who can handle problems and a call button for after-hours needs. Security measures include bulletproof glass, and officers have to swipe cards to get into the main building and the upper floors.

The second and third floors include offices, an interviewing room and a large, well-lit workout room. The new building is also equipped with a communications room with 15 computers and four large screens that can split into several different sections to show more information. This is where the Pitt police monitor all of the surveillance cameras on campus, as well as incoming news stories and dispatch information. Another perk to the new headquarters are the separate lunch, roll call and two conference rooms; the old building had all three in one cramped room.

One of the few new problems that have arisen with the move is the lack of parking space, though Bennett says it’s working out. “We have over 100 personnel in our total department, and we’re some of the only people on campus with 24 hour service, so parking has become an issue,” he said.

He feels that residents of the area feel safer seeing officers on the street and are happy with the new location of the headquarters. “We enjoy the different view of this part of Oakland, and people appreciate seeing patrol cars around,” Bennett said.

He acknowledged that many students don’t know the location of the new building, but didn’t see that as a problem, because the phone numbers are still the same, and the substations across from the Litchfield Towers beneath the footbridge on Forbes Avenue, at Sutherland Hall and Sennott Square are still in place. Another substation is currently planned for Ruskin Avenue.

Bennett does want to draw attention to the building. There are signs at the old station in Posvar Hall, and he wants to put a sign by the Exxon station where the South Oakland Pitt bus drops off. He said that he wants to change the bus route so that it will always go by the police station.

Overall, Bennett said that the new building is a safe and well-organized, and that he and the rest of the Pitt police are happy to be above ground and to have windows.