Emergency: 412.884.1100

Non-Emergency: 412.884.1100

Emergency Calls also taken: 911

Whitehall Police Department
100 Borough Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15236

Email: wpdadmin@whitehallboro.org

Google Map

Police Department headquarters are located in the lower level of the Municipal Building.

Under the direction of Chief Donald Dolfi, the Whitehall Borough features one of the most highly trained, best equipped police departments in Allegheny County.

The Whitehall Borough Police Department employs 20 full time police officers, 5 full time and one part time support personnel.

The Police Department maintains its own dispatch center 24 hours a day at 412.884.1100 for Police, Fire, and Medical emergencies. 9-1-1 calls are forwarded to us from the center. Non-emergency calls will also be accepted at 412.884.1100.

The dispatchers have equipment available to communicate with the hearing and speech impaired.

It is interesting to note that one of the reasons Whitehall Borough seceded from Baldwin Township in 1948 was due to resident dissatisfaction with the level of police protection. In fact, the first piece of equipment ever purchased by the new Whitehall Borough was a 1947 Chevrolet Stylemaster police vehicle equipped with snow tires, siren, two-way radio and a full tank of gas for $2,292.50. The department has been ever mindful of the community’s expectations in the years since. Residents cite community safety as one of the primary reasons that they choose to live in Whitehall.

The Police Department is an organization whose foundation is based on Service to the Community. The Principal mission of this Department is to serve and protect persons and property in Whitehall Borough. The responsibilities associated with this mission are many. They include enforcement of Federal, State, County and Borough Ordinances; maintaining the peace and order of the Borough; protecting property, personal safety, and generally assisting citizens in urgent situations.

The Police Services associated with criminal activity is only a part of our overall responsibility. A great percentage of our time and energy is expended on noncriminal service functions and in dealing with law-abiding citizens of the community. It is our duty, not only to protect our citizens from crime, but also to protect and defend the rights guaranteed under our structure of government.

Every officer, as a member of this Department, shall accept these responsibilities as their fundamental duty. Each officer is expected to carry out these responsibilities diligently and courteously and to take pride in the services they provide.

Police Administration is responsible for the general operation of the Department.

Planning, budget preparation, computer operations and development, scheduling, Internal Affairs, training and the overall operations of law enforcement functions, are under the control of Chief Donald R. Dolfi and Deputy Chief Richard M Danko.

The primary function of the Department lies with the Police Patrol Services Unit. They respond to all Calls for Service; Conduct Criminal Investigations; Traffic Enforcement and Borough Ordinance violations.

The Police Patrol Services Unit consists of four sergeants and thirteen patrol officers. This unit maintains three marked patrol cars and two four-wheel drive SUV’s and one unmarked vehicle.

The patrol vehicles contain equipment that enables the officers to respond to a variety of emergency and non-emergency situations in an efficient and effective manner. This includes vehicle-mounted video cameras, mobile data computers, LIFEPAK 500 automated external defibrillators (AED’s), first aid/oxygen equipment and breath testing equipment.

Sergeants:
Thomas Allebrand
Jay Hardman
Keith Henderson
William Hudson

Officers:
David Artman
Charles Boehm
John Boyle
Terry Bradford
Joseph Budd
Michael Farrell
Kurt Gaebel
Jason Gagorik
Korey Hinkle
Joseph Lacko
Gary Morris
Shawn Patterson
Matthew Reid

The Communications Unit is best described as the foundation of the Police Department. From the Dispatch Center, all Emergency and Non-Emergency calls for service are processed. The employees that work in this unit are a highly trained and caring group of people with great skills.

The men and women in the Communications Unit must be able to field an enormous amount of incoming calls each month, prioritizing each call into a proper category, and forward that call to the appropriate Emergency Service Unit.

Our Telecommunicators must be able to not only answer and disseminate these calls for assistance, but they do so as they also monitor multiple radio frequencies, broadcast calls, run records information, track officers activity in the field to monitor their safety, and maintain our computerized record information system. The dispatcher often encounters the irate, frustrated, and frightened citizens needing urgent help. During emergencies, these employees must remain calm and efficiently handle their duties.

COMMUNICATION UNIT PERSONNEL:

Timothy Funk
Rachel Garrard
Hilary Kingsley
Debra Kukan
Margaret Scherbanic
Marla Schoeber
Marie Schwartzmeier

D.A.R.E. = DRUG ABUSE RESISTANCE EDUCATION

The Whitehall Borough Police Department’s D.A.R.E. Program began in the fall of 1993 with classes at Whitehall Elementary School, Saint Gabriel School and Harrison Middle School. The program initially targeted 5th and 6th grades with two uniformed instructors. Officer Bruce Marchetti retired in 2009 and Officer David Artman is currently handling the entire program which focuses on:

• Equipping elementary school students with skills for resisting social and peer pressures to experiment with tobacco, drugs and alcohol.
• Utilizing teachers, parents and community leaders when assessing risky decision making at school and home.
• Assisting students with a working solution when they are confronted with violence, anger and bullying by other students.

Between 1993 and the present, over 10,000 students have participated in the program with very positive results.

The Whitehall Borough Police Department is continuing to lead the way with new initiatives that expand outside the usual D.A.R.E. programs - Red Ribbon Week Bowling, the D.A.R.E. Hockey Team, the Teen Center at Harrison Middle School, the D.A.R.E. Corner Article, and for the last two years in conjunction with the Baldwin Borough Police Department, “Cop Talk” at Baldwin High School.

In the years to come, the Whitehall Borough Police Department will continue to strive to develop new ways to conquer the drugs and violence that menace our children.

If there are any questions or comments concerning the D.A.R.E. Program, you can direct your inquiries to:

Officer David J. Artman
Whitehall Borough Police Department
412.884.1100

• Parking of vehicles is not permitted on the street between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
• Parking on the streets is prohibited when snowfall has accumulated three inches
• Shoveling snow onto the street is prohibited
• All dogs shall be licensed with Allegheny County. Dogs and cats are not permitted to run at large
• The indiscriminate spreading of birdseed, animal feed or bread crumbs on any property is prohibited
• All door-to-door peddlers or canvassers must be licensed by the Borough and may not canvas after dark

The Police Department conducts a "Citizen Police Academy" for residents on an annual basis with a minimum of 20 interested residents. The course consists of one night a week for three hours, for nine weeks.

The students learn Pennsylvania criminal law and vehicle code, search and seizure and evidence handling. On the eighth week the students apply their skills in a practical exercise. Students receive a certificate upon completion.

All applicants must pass a screening before admission. Applications for the Academy will be published in the Borough Bulletin.

In order to provide the best service to the public and safe guard the responding Police, Fire and Medical units, dispatchers are trained to first determine whether the caller is reporting an Emergency or Non-Emergency type of situation. To accomplish this, dispatchers will ask a series of questions and obtain certain essential information. These questions are important. The answers to these questions will greatly assist the police officers in the performance of their duties and do not delay response time.

The following information is needed for each call for service:

• What type of incident are you reporting?
• When did the incident occur?
• Where did the incident occur?
• Who is reporting the incident?
• Description of the person(s) involved
• Description of any vehicles involved
• Are there any weapons involved?

You may be asked to stay on the phone with the dispatcher so they can relay any additional information to the officers responding to the incident location. The most important thing is that you have to try to remain calm.

Hosted by the Whitehall Police Department

The Whitehall Borough Police Department will be conducting its Annual Hunter Safety Course. This is a Free Course.

The 2013 Class is being held on:

Class will be held on: July 13, 2013 - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Class is held at the Whitehall Borough Community Room.

To Register:

Logon to the PA Game Commission Website at: www.pgc.state.pa.us and Click: Education Link or call the Whitehall Police Department: 412.884.1100

Whitehall Borough has entered into an agreement with the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon to provide animal control service. Also in the agreement are the communities of Upper St. Clair, Scott Township, Dormont Borough, Greentree Borough and Castle Shannon Borough.

Each community pays their proportionate share for services provided each month.

Stray dogs and cats that are picked up are placed in a kennel located in Upper St. Clair.

If you require the services of Animal Control:

Contact the Police Dispatcher: 412.884.1100.