In spite of recent events, Chief Delaney says Oakland is still safe

Frank Ogiri-Little felt safe enough to walk and ride his bike through Squirrel Hill.

His… Frank Ogiri-Little felt safe enough to walk and ride his bike through Squirrel Hill.

His life ended on those same streets, which he traveled every day.

While walking home through Squirrel Hill on Aug. 4, Ogiri-Little was approached by four young men, who demanded that he surrender his backpack and money. He refused their orders twice and ignored their suggestion to run away.

Frank Ogiri-Little died on South Negley Avenue from multiple gunshot wounds to his neck and body.

Matthew Napper was playing a pick-up game of football with some friends in front of his house on Atwood Street on Sept. 4. During the game, the ball hit a parked car on the road.

The driver got out of his vehicle and began to argue with the participants. The argument escalated and the driver pulled a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol from the waistband of his pants. He fired a single shot into the ground, and the bullet ricocheted into Napper, who collapsed on the porch of his 305 Atwood St. home, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his back.

Are Oakland and its surrounding areas safe?

“It is safe here,” Pitt Police Chief Tim Delaney said. “I mean, if you are looking for action at 2 a.m., you will find it. It just may not be at your front door.”

Pittsburgh Crime Prevention Officer Ashley Thompson agrees with Delaney, for the most part.

“Oakland mirrors the rest of the city,” he said. “For instance, there’s been an increase in auto-involved thefts in the city. The same is true in Oakland. It’s unique because of the population influxes. During the school year, naturally, crime increases — there’s more people.”

These reassurances don’t always match with statistics. Pittsburgh crime statistics for 2003 showed an increase in aggravated assault, but a decrease in robberies for the Oakland region. According to police data collection, there has not been a rise in violent crime during 2004.

“The key is that when they do live there, they are a part of the community,” Thompson said, regarding how students fit into the city’s neighborhood watch program. “The students have programs from Pitt police — the two go hand in hand.”

Thompson added that there is a strong crime prevention effort in the Oakland area, and he acknowledged the friction between long-term residents and students. He cited parties and garbage as two issues that incite anger in the communities, but he added that there are other factors, too.

“They need to be responsible — when they become victims, it draws in crime,” Thompson added. “If people leave their doors and windows open, it draws that element into Oakland.”

Delaney agreed with Thompson, adding that book theft is a common problem for students.

“People don’t get dressed and drive to Oakland to steal books,” he said, adding that theft is the most common crime around campus.

According to Delaney, Pitt suffers from the same problems as most universities, and he added that there is a misconception among college students.

“They think there’s always tomorrow — that’s what the problem is,” Delaney said.

As an example, he recalled a young man he found at the Pitt-Ohio game at Heinz Field earlier this year. A security guard had alerted Delaney about the young man, who was allegedly intoxicated.

“The kid kept getting hit by cars,” he said, explaining that the young man was not hurt by the cars that nudged him

Delaney was notified after the second car struck the young man, and he asked the man’s companions “to get him off the street.”

“That’s a perfect example,” he said. “It’s like tomorrow always comes.”

Both officers affirmed that there is a strong police presence in Oakland, adding that the two police forces — Pittsburgh city police and Pitt police — work together.

“All the police reports go to Zone 4 [Oakland police], but the student reports go back to us,” Delaney said.

When he encounters these reports, Delaney said that in most cases that involve violations of the student codes of conduct, he prefers to see the individual cited, rather than arrested.

“It’s a win-win situation,” he said. “We don’t want to over-punish them, [but] just let them know you can’t do that.”

Parties are one example of this practice. Delaney explained that a law prohibits selling liquor without a license; that law can be applied to parties that charge a cover. Misdemeanor charges, which result in an arrest, are pressed against those holding the party, while those in attendance will receive citations.

Like any college police, Pitt police must closely monitor alcohol use. Pitt police work with the Liquor Control Board and the city police to ensure that partying around campus is done safely. The police also keep an eye on bars and problem parties.

Delaney said he meets with the fraternities to regulate the intensity of the parties held, which he said seems to help.

“We meet and discuss things when everyone is sober, not at night,” he said. “We just try to show people the right way to live. There are consequences for your actions. We don’t just smack your hand, but it’s not the end of the world, either.”

Thompson agreed that alcohol can be a problem for students.

“You need to be in control of yourself,” he said. “Take rape for instance. People go to a bar, go home with someone [while] drunk, and wake up and realize they’ve been raped.”

Because of the potential for problems in Oakland, Pitt police have made its presence visible in the area. According to Delaney, the force has at least four patrols on every shift, 24 hours a day. He said there are walking beats, as well as two supervisors with six marked cars. The police also have four motorcycles and four bicycles for patrol.

While Thompson was unable to give details about the city police’s increased presence in the area, he said more officers are patrolling now that school has begun.