Heinz Endowments grant to fund Pittsburgh police training

By Lexi Belculfine
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PITTSBURGH — The Heinz Endowments is footing part of the bill for Pittsburgh police training meant to bring officers closer to their communities.

Training details have not been finalized, Chief Cameron McLay said Tuesday, but the $100,000 grant will cover some of his plans for the year, which include reassessing field training programs and the training of recruits at the academy, as well as hiring a consultant to audit the bureau’s current training.

About 80 officers received leadership training last year from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and Chief McLay said that program will expand this year.

With a “train the trainer” model, eventually, the bureau will be able to educate each of its own members. That instruction will stress officers’ responsibility for the successes and future of the bureau and understanding human behavior, including biases, to better interact with people, he said.

“Training really is the key if we want to elevate policing from a trade to a profession,” Chief McLay said.

Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved the grant agreement, which funds bureau “training to create a noticeable cultural shift in the way the department collaborates with the community.”

“What we were sold on was the core notion of community policing and engaging communities differently, especially with sensitivity to racial bias,” Heinz Endowments President Grant Oliphant said, leaving open the possibility of future funding for the bureau.

The Heinz Endowments is trying to take a more direct approach to dealing with social justice issues, and its board was impressed by Chief McLay’s sincerity and the range of training he presented, he said.

“Having positive police-community relations is one of those details we have got to nail if we want Pittsburgh to remain at the top of all of the ‘best of’’ lists that we’re seeing,” Mr. Oliphant said.

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