Proclamations: Ownership of Public Safety edition

McKee's Economic Forum

WHEREAS Allegheny County Sheriff William Mullen recently went right ahead and completed the process of "tightening up" regulations governing off-duty detail work by deputies, and

WHEREAS working details at certain venues or performing certain jobs are forbidden under the policy, and

WHEREAS the number of hours a deputy may work off-duty is capped, and

WHEREAS the Sheriff's office charges a 10% fee for use of its equipment and cost-recovery, and

WHEREAS Deputy Tom Halaburka, speaking on behalf of the Allegheny County Deputy Sheriff's Association, said the association agreed to the policy because “I think the sheriff has to have some control. We are wearing a uniform, we have a badge, and we are armed. It's common sense.”

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the week of April 14 through April 20 is Allegheny County Deputy Sheriff's Association Week at the Pittsburgh Comet, and all throughout Pittsburghtown.

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WHEREAS on January 10th 2013, Karen Palmer of City of the Pittsburgh Police Bureau's personnel and finance office voiced concerns to Officer Christie A. Gasiorowski of the bureau's special events office regarding the diversion of checks, about misspending, and about private business encroachment by some of the bureau's employees, and

WHEREAS on January 18th, Officer Gasiorowski authored a memo documenting these concerns to Sgt. Carol Ehlinger, following proper procedure and chain-of-command, and in so documenting explicitly invoked the Federal Whistle Blower Act, and

WHEREAS these appropriate, straightforward and courageous actions prompted Pittsburgh police Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson to shut down an unauthorized and secret credit union account, and

WHEREAS these same actions may have contributed to the successful intervention of federal law enforcement authorities curtailing what they have described as "the worst kind of public corruption", and

WHEREAS this series of events has informally launched and is inspiring others to join the professional and civic work of questioning, revealing, disrespecting and disarming the culture of political coersion and corruption sadly permitted to pervade several aspects of this City government,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the month of April, 2013 is Karen Palmer, Officer Christie Gasiorowski and Sgt. Carol Ehlinger Month at the Pittsburgh Comet, and all throughout Pittsburghtown.