PUBLIC HOUSING TO GET SPECIAL POLICE UNIT; FOUR NEW OFFICERS SWORN-IN
Harrisburg, PA – Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced that, effective this week, a Public Housing Unit of the Harrisburg Police Bureau has been established and is in operation.
Comprised of four full-time officers, they will focus exclusively on patrol, investigation and community relations in the public housing units of the Harrisburg Housing Authority and, especially, in the four largest housing project areas of Hall Manor and Hoverter Homes, which exist side-by-side, and in M.W. Smith Homes and William Howard Day Homes, which are next door to one another, Reed said.
Reed said the frequency of calls in those areas and assessment of the safety needs of those areas justify the special attention now being provided. The Public Housing Unit will operate year-round.
The Mayor said the Unit will be headquartered in an additional police community relations office that is now being prepared in space in Hall Manor. When painting and other refurbishments are completed and all equipment installed, the office will officially be dedicated.
The Mayor also reported that four new city police officers have been sworn-in and have now started training at the Public Safety Academy at Harrisburg Area Community College. Upon successful completion, they will begin their field patrol duties by the end of this year.
Reed said the city successfully obtained external funding for both the Public Housing Unit and the hiring of the new officers. The housing-related officers will be paid from $290,000.00 in HUD funds through the Housing Authority. The newly-hired officers will be covered by a state grant of $250,000.00 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
He said the city seeks to hire at least an additional five officers in the next six months if there are sufficient qualified applicants. Applicants for police work must pass a Civil Service test as well as physiological, psychological, physical agility and background reviews before being considered. The Civil Service testing process this year was conducted by the Dauphin County Chiefs of Police Association.
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