Isnt it remarkable all this crime(store robbery, bank robbery, graffiti damage) all occurs within one block of the police station. I would also be willing to bet the police were in the station at the time. Makes you wonder that that cant even protect the business area around the police station how are they going to protect you and your house?

Watcher,

The article reports that a masked man entered the store around 6 pm and committed the robbery. Do you think that if a marked police car or a beat officer was in front of the store that this crime could of have been prevented? Crime is a part of todays society and Brentwood is no exception. As far as officers in the station, eaing at local eateries, or over patrolling the park, well.... that my intellectual friend .... is a question to ponder to the dedicated Chief of Police at the next council meeting. If you are afraid that you will forget the questions: ask the first lady of Brentwood to write it down on one of her cue cards.

Today at his inauguration, Onorato said the county will assist financially with merging police and fire depts.There are are already state and federal groups that will do the study. As I have stated before, Brentwood has no professionalism, has no investigative talent, and has no drive to better itself. By merging with Baldwin or Whitehall or both, we could have A capable police force that can then possibly start preventing crime and re-establish itself with the community.

Watcher,

Despite your consistently uneducated and unsupported rhetoric, I have to support the belief that merging police services would benefit the entire area. This applies as well to Fire, EMS and public works. Taxes should, although probably would not be reduced. Residents would gain by a regional police department via improved resources such as general investigations, narcotics and computer based crimes. These specializations occur in the majority of larger Allegheny County municipal police departments. The ability to seek out a qualified and resourceful police chief would come into play to address the professionalism that is lacking. Who is not aware of the fact that that neglectfulness and ineffectiveness is a virus that grows from the top? I read that Council President Jay Lieb (D- Brentwood Borough) touched on this topic a few weeks back. I know that (Marion Joesph D- Baldwin Borough) is also on board. Well, that's a good start..... Let’s get the ball rolling!!!!!!!!!

Watcher,
I have to agree with Victorys statement.Crime occurs everywhere.It happens in Baldwin and Whitehall too.Is that because these officers are dining in businesses in Brentwood too?Could it be that they cant be everywhere at the exact time crime occurs?Maybe these councils need to budget for a crystal ball for each police car.That would be the only way that they could be exactly where crime is going to occur.
I think that it is wrong to suggest that because some idiot with social problems(most likely drugs)points a gun at someone is the result of police officers not doing their job.If that is the case,looking at the stats for all of Pa.,not one police officer in this state does his job.That would include the ones shot in the line of duty by the very same idiots.

Why not extend this to all of Allegheny County? Why not have the County do all the policing? Merge all police departments into one cohesive County force? If merging is the answer to everyone's problems, then this should be the best solution.

Well, it is true crime is everywhere and I agree. But I do have A little more insight to the local police than most. I have pointed out several times the police not doing there job. Sitting at the station for hours on end. Sitting at caribou coffee like clockwork, Wondering why there are no drug arrests or investigation started when there is an overdose call. As I pointed out in one of the comments that got deleted, drug overdose call, well known drug residence, no arrests, no investigation. You tell me. As for uneducated and unsupported rhetoric, it can be all confirmed by call dispatchs and reports.

Watcher,

Ok, I have done some research on your insight.

(1). Question: If a police officer gets dispatched to a report of a drug overdose - Can the police officer make an arrest if the scene reveals no drugs or paraphernalia? - ANSWER - NO - a drug overdose in of itself is not a crime.

(2). A recent council meeting revealed that Officers Harding and Mulholland (Brentwood PD) investigated a report of drug dealing and after an investigation - arrests were made. I asked around and discovered that the area was near Kestner and Newburn - dealer lives in City and makes deals in Brentwood - no longer an issue.

I could go on for hours and hours on arrests that I have been made or thorough investigation. Does that upset you? Do you want to believe that we live in a borough of derelict officers who don't bother to care?

Regionalization is an imminent necessity in Allegheny County as well as all counties in the United States. Louisville, Nashville, Las Vegas ...... The establishment of a regional 911-dispatch center is the groundwork. Everybody will prosper in this goal. Step two is to get our politicians onboard - (Brentwood - Lieb and Allegheny County Executive - Dan Onorato).

Never said all the officers were derelict, but still you only named two. There are A few that do care and do there job, and the ones that do seemed to catch hell about it. Regional 911 dispatch centers were tried and failed. There is nothing wrong with the county 911 system, still has A few bugs, but will work out in time. As long as we have politicians that need to be in charge of their little kingdoms and refuse to consolidate their public services things wont change. County and state government need to step in and make the mergers happen.

Just some food for thought...At the last council meeting the Chief listed the stats for the month of November (police activity). He said in his report that 96 traffic citations were given out in the month of November.

96 Traffic citations/30 days in November=approximately 3 citations per day

There are three shifts per day/8 hours each. You do the math. This means that there is one traffic citation given out during each 8 hour shift. Is this acceptable? Would someone like to comment on this? Where are our police? What are they doing? Any thoughts? Are some writing tickets and others not doing anything?

Hey Wiz,

Do you feel cheated? - Do you want a ticket or just tickets in general? - how about that ..... someones asking for the Police to write MORE tickts ..... Whats next .... the Police just dont arrest enough people these days? How about how many WARNINGS were given.

I listen to the scanner, amazing how many calls that two police officers handle in an 8hour shift - answer the calls - do the reports - give out a ticket - a few warnings - check our businesses - watch our kids come and go from school - and oh my bajesus ..... eat a meal and maybe have a cup of coffee even.

Some complain that the Police write to many tickets and make to many DUI arrests, heck even complain the they eat a meal. I read once .... every American needs to pick a side .... any side .... and stick with it until its proven wrong.

Wiz, what side are you on ???

Where should I start. First of all, I am on the taxpayers side. I only want to see the police doing their job. On too many occasions here I have had a problem, and been told nothing could be done. This may be a long blog, but I need to get my point across.

1. I see drug activity going on in the borough. I have seen it myself, as have others. In McDonalds parking lot, in Brentwood Town Centres parking lot, in the trash can at East Garden and Spanglers intersection. Let's get something done. I also believe a list of streets with drug houses was previously posted. If we see it, the police should see it. They are paid to see it. Let's take care of it.

2. There are teenagers hanging in the play area in the park in the summer, where there is a sign hanging from the tree. NO ONE UNDER 12 PERMITTED. I have been there with my kids as I heard the "F" bomb being dropped. I was told by a police officer nothing could be done. Freedom of speech.

3. I have complained about speeders on my street because of the high amount of children who play there 10+ kids in a ten house radius. I was told by an officer that the streets are for cars, not kids. I can remember playing tag, riding my bike, roller skates, etc. as a kid. The police were always watching for speeders. We have had a tree sheared, a phone pole sheared off, a fence in a front yard taken out, and a pizza delivery accident within the last two years on my road due to speeding cars. I grew up in Brentwood. What happened?

As for your question about tickets, I walk Brownsville alot. I see alot of speeders and people not stopping for red lights, etc. If the police don't want to ticket people, there is an independent company that they are using in neighborhoods in Cleveland, OH. This company will come in and install cameras at frequently violated intersections. ANYONE who runs the stop light or stop sign gets a picture of their license plate taken and a nice little ticket is sent in the mail to them. The company gets a percentage of the fine and the community gets the rest. Maybe we should implement something like that. Then the police would be free to do other things. Maybe then we could just hang on to the ones who want to work.

Let me ask you Victory. Have you ever sat down to watch the game only to turn on your TV and the cable was'nt working. Did you just sit there? Or did you call the cable company and get it fixed.

You made several good points.The range of comments just amazes me.The police spend too much time in the park.Wait,no they don't-the 12 year olds are taking over.Which is it?Some officers give out too many DUI arrests.Wait,no,they don't do anything.Too much time in the station.No,they can't be doing anything constructive like reports,phone calls or any of the work that the former dispatchers did.Eat a meal?Bladder break? They are only police.Why should they have these perks?Crystal balls seem to be the key.They could know all,do all and still survive all of the scrutany in the public eye.
This is a no win situation for these officers.Too aggressive and it is police brutality.Not aggressive enough and it is apathy.

Quite a few months back I wrote that Brentwood would lose their police department if council was allowed to continue the way they were. Now it seems they want to throw away their very own.
It's a shame that Council President Lieb has so much hatred toward Chief Butelli that he is willing to merge police departments to get rid of him. I always thought a public official wants to do what's right for the community, not seek personal satisfaction.
This question is to Victory. Please inform me of the professionalism Chief Butelli is lacking. I can certainly understand his frustration in trying to do his job effectively. It is truly hard to be effective when you have council taking over the running of the police department. Especially when council president doesn't have a clue as to what he's doing. I must agree with you that neglectfulness and ineffectiveness is a virus that grows from the top. The only problem is that you didn't go high enough since the chief is not truly the top.
As for an educated guess, you sound like a disgruntled police officer who licks the boots of council in hopes of getting ahead.
I have read so many times how proud the people of Brentwood are of their small town appeal. You merge the police departments, what's to follow. In time Brentwood will be no more. If you want to save this community, get rid of the council members who are there for their own personal gain and not the people of Brentwood.

Candleslady and Victory,

We all need to walk a thin line here. Despite all of our disagreements, there are many good police officers that we have. No one is begrudging them a break or dinner. That is not the problem. We have a good thing here. However, if you look around at Brentwood Borough and look at how close we are to the city, it is very scary. Let me just say in a moments notice we could be sucked into being just like the city. It has already started, just look at the cars parked up on the sidewalks everywhere. Are they tagged? Nope, nothing is done.

I like Brentwood. I like the community, that is why me and so many others stay. But, when Brentwood becomes an extension of the city, I will be moving. I see things changing and I don't like it. I see things that are not looking so good. Things that can be corrected. Believe me, if we do not enforce the standards and codes that we have, Brentwood will become an extension of the city. Crime and all. That would make it very hard for our police officers. It would be a darn shame. That is all I am trying to say.

Sick and Tired,
What has our chief and mayor done for the taxpayers in this borough except for cost us money in grievances from the union? When is it going to stop. Responsibility must be taken at some point.

I can see some of the points that you are trying to make.I don't believe that the community of Brentwood would ever become like the city.It is a community with too much pride and people with "ownership" of their community.It could disappear if people freely give up their "own" police department and identity.Merge with the masses as it were.I agree that there are many great police officers on the force.Look at this from their eyes for a minute.It is a rough job dealing with the unpleasant side of human nature.They have fighting from the top-council fights with mayor,mayor fights with council,council fights with chief.Officers feel this in their department and fight with each other.Add in the citizens who criticize everything that they do or dont do-dinner breaks,time at the station,ect,ect.When was the last time any of these officers had a greatful resident thank them for what they do?Stress is not healthy.These men all have families to think about.Heath related issues due to this type of stress effects their families too.
Brentwood is a great community,but you wouldnt know it from reading some of the blogs here.Those who take for granted where they live should try looking on the positive side of things.I agree that codes and rules need enforced.I just feel that there is a better way to fix things than making the police department the scape goat for sour grapes.

I believe several of us are all trying to make the same points. Dont kid yourself, Brentwood could very easily become another Mt.Oliver, it is in the very early stages now.Nobody is saying merge with the masses, just the area dept.s, as I stated in previous comments it is successful in several other areas and would be successful here too. Brentwood has some good officers,some. But A regional force will draw on additional resorces, K-9, traffic investigations, etc., something totally lacking here. I have personally thanked officers for doing there job, I am not going to thank an officer for calling out at a coffee shop like clockwork.I watch cars run the stop signs on Brownsville everyday. I have seen officers in the station for at least half there shift, have seen officers never in the station during there shift, this is where they all where last year when the guy grabbed the lady right across the street and he still got away, this is where they were when the guy robbed the bank right up the street. Ask you husband, the joke is if you want to do something in Brentwood, do it at shift change. the force needs to be proffesional, this starts with A Mayor, Chief and supervisors. This isnt sour grapes, these are facts. everyone see's it,but who is going to do anything about it?

Sick and Tired,

I will address your comment "As for an educated guess, you sound like a disgruntled police officer who licks the boots of council in hopes of getting ahead". I have no idea where you obtained that "educated guess" but please enlighten me on what I said that leads you to that opinion.

I am however a concerned resident that has both personal and professional ties to this community. I have read enough on these facts to grant me an opinion, not an experts opinion, but an opinion. I read the studies on general consolidation in goverment, which includes the largest portion of any goverment ..... public safety. I was the victiim of graffitti and has so many of others in our area. Burglaries, Robbery's, Thefts, Drugs, ect..., are being handled by Patrolman.... Right? Is this the case in the County Police Department, State Police or City of Pittsburgh? Can you tell me why this is? I understand that Homicides, Sex Crimes and maybe a few others are handled by the County Police in Brentwood. Dispatch is being handled by a County level goverment. Have we not alreday began a merger?

I am not blaming or Our Police Officers, Our Police Chief, Our Mayor or Our Council-members. I am simply casting my opinion that the merger of municipal services has worked in other locations within and outside of our area and why not here? I will cast another "opinion" - The professionalism comes from the leadership role that he lacks. I hear it from nearly every officer, even ones who attempt to provide loyality and support. He is also lacking public identity due to his unavailability 24/7. He has no history of attendance at community events other than a HI AND BYE. (ie: 4th of July, Light up Night, School Board meetings, School activities, Crime Watch meetings, Sporting Events, Everyday Patrol). I have stopped in with issues to see him and I was told that he is not in, I saw him pull his car into the police garage. Come on, ask around, he is not a community player. I read that he takes hand outs from vendors against rules that he expects others to follow. A leader has to lead, lead by example, be adaptive to circumstances, be fair and all expense, be a role model of those under your command and in his case to those who pay your salary.

I ask you this: Explain to me your lack of interest in the merging of municipal services? What will be lost, What will be gained? Are you in a position to comprehend the total picture. Do you think that this would also work in ........ South Park ?

Wiz:
I am not involved with the politics of the borough(directly),But I do agree that these issues have been going on long before the current council was in place.I am old enough now to talk about "the good old days" and can tell you that the police department is soooo very different in moral and attitude from the Mayor Joyce and Bob Hartshorn days.People referred to them as the "Good Ole' Boys".Kind of ironic now,isn't it? I only hope that concerned citizens like you continue to voice your issues.

ForSale:
I am aware that Officer Mulhullan received a plaque from council.I think that was the least that they could do and that Thank You in this case was well deserved.On the other hand,I don't see the pay increase as a thank you from anyone.I see it as an "about time".Brentwood is the lowest paying department in the South Hills.Gas still costs $3.19 for police families.Utilities still cost the same for police families.The cost of living still goes up every year for police families.I am not ungrateful here,just trying to point out a fact.
I am not sure how you can say people are not picking on the police department.Spend a few minutes to review these blogs.I agree that there is no excuse for people in any profession to not do their job.It shows pride in your chosen vocation.I just think it would be very difficult to be proud when people pound at you from all sides,political and otherwise.

Watcher:
These crimes that you mention-do you believe that the bank had less of a chance of being robbed if the officers were on the other side of the borough in their cars?The lady would not have had her ankle grabbed if they were on Sankey Ave.?It is sour grapes-look at the politics of the environment there.Someone wants to make a point about something,so they put the police department in the middle.Lets list a few-the new police car,the Chiefs' uniform allowance,the most recent contract negotiations.Seems like sour grapes to me.

Candles Lady
I beg to disagree with you about the Thank Yous that MM has gotten and I am sure if you ask him personally he would tell you what I am telling you, that being, that all the residents of the borough were greatful to both he and Ranger for a job well done and I hope he is the new K9 patrolman to get another drug dog. As for their 4% raise that came from every tax paying resident of the community who also pay 3.19 for gas with a lot of us on a fixed income and the officers should take pride in what they do and even more so want to keep our community moving in the right direction by inforcing what is already on the books. A 4% raise is a substantial raise in any corporate arena. All the officers need to do their job in a professional manner not just a few. This all starts at the top. As for your comment to watcher who dosn't need any defending, you have to know the Mayor kept the police car in the garage because he didn't like the paint job. On the uniform allowance if you went to the meeting you would have heard that was a contractual issue and council agreed to allow this to happen so he would look professional.
One more item with the Police department being one of the lowest paid departments in the south hills is correct and if any of the officers don't like it then they can do what everyone else who don't like their job,
Move ON.........

Nobody needs to put the police in the middle, they put themselves there, everyday. I mentioned these particular crimes because they happened right under their nose. At least two of them, bank and assault occured during shift change, all officers in the building. A few months back I mentioned an incident that took place in the giant eagle lot. Two individuals reported unconscious in A car, police and ambulance dispatched, ambulance had to wait for officers, why? shift change. Individuals were both on drugs, drugs and drug related items in car, arrested? cited? what do you think? Just an example. Not sour grapes, fact. What happened to the suspect grabbing women? Nothing. Bank robber? Never caught. And now we have someone spray painting Brentwood.Think we will ever catch them? I have doubts. Maybe if they get off their cell phones and start paying attention they will start to see.

It is not always easy to change jobs either.Age plays a role in police work,and the number of people competing for these jobs makes it difficult too.
As far as the raise issue,does your company have union representation?Is binding arbutration involved in the decision of how much the raise is?I dont believe that productivity based rewards are a part of the union mentality.
And yes,my husband did take a concession when he went from chief to patrolman.

You need to start reading as well as watching.The "grabber" was arrested and his trial is coming up soon.Open your mind as well as your eyes.As I recall,noone was ever caught for the Purolater robbery back in 1983.I guess the FBI spent too much time in their offices or at the water cooler.You are so busy being angry at the police for whatever reason that you are not getting the facts straight.I have a great idea-instead of just complaining,do something positive about your concerns.Run for council and take on the responsibility of the public safety committee.Or,you could go to the police academy,become an officer,test for Brentwood PD,and fix all of the wrongs there.

I don't mean to stir the soup, but I will anyway. Let me just say, I am glad that our police officers got a raise. Everybody deserves a raise. Every year the cost of everything goes up. I think 4% is fair or average. However, how is it that the mayor sat at the last meeting and announced to everybody there that the arbitrator gave away the farm. How is everybody supposed to work with him, when he stabs them in the back. It's like your boss saying, "Here's a 4% raise, but you don't deserve it". Any thoughts?

I never said it was a gift. I said a thank you for a job well done during the past year. A raise is not something a company has to give you. They can call a bad year and pass on raises; they can give small raises or big raises. They can ask for concessions. Whatever they feel you deserve or they want. It is a way of making employees happy, advancement in salary for a job well done or just across the board which was negotiated. No company owes any of us anything. And a 4% raise across the board to everyone, is quite generous in any work environment.

We are all struggling in this economy and we all have to pay $3.19 a gallon. We should all drive less and stick it to the towel heads. I started shopping closer to home. Making fewer trips and driving less. Maybe we should have a black weekend and no one buy gas for a couple of days. Any ideas on that?

In this case,the officers are not employed by a company,but a municipal government.Also,with union representation,the rules are different.Either way,I agree-4% is generous.I am sorry if I made it sound otherwise.I also realize that the majority of Brentwood citizens support and appreciate their police department.It is so easy to get caught up in the hype on this site!
Everyone is suffering through the same pain now.The price of gas,food,and utilities is so high.I wonder if a black weekend would hurt the gas companies?If so,it would be a great idea.With my job,I have no choice during week days,but a weekend would work.