North Huntingdon to join regional SWAT team
North Huntingdon police officers will join a Westmoreland Special Weapons and Tactics team the police chief said will afford his officers a higher level of training while spreading the cost of operating such a tactical unit, with its ammunition, special equipment and armored vehicles, among eight other municipalities.
“It’s an opportunity to become part of this regional effort,” said Chief Robert Rizzo.
Four township officers are in the process of applying to join Westmoreland SWAT, Rizzo said last week. There could be an opportunity to expand the township’s involvement by adding two officers in 2024, Rizzo said.
Rizzo said he anticipates the township officers would begin training early next year.
North Huntingdon operates a special response team with 11 officers, led by Lt. Jay McCurdy. The chief said the team would not be disbanded, but those officers not joining the regional SWAT team could serve as a “quick reaction perimeter team.”
Township police called the state police special emergency response team on July 29 to respond to an incident in which a man fired 15 to 20 gunshots inside his house at the corner of Ivanhoe Drive and Clay Pike, then remained inside despite heavy police presence. The standoff ended peacefully after about six hours when the suspect, Adam M. Plecenik, surrendered peacefully. He was charged with assault.
The regional SWAT team likely could respond more quickly to emergencies than the state police response team in Greensburg, Rizzo noted.
Rizzo said he was not certain how the cost of joining the Westmoreland SWAT team would compare with the township operating its own special response team, but costs such as ammunition and equipment would be shared.
Westmoreland SWAT has officers from Allegheny Township, Greensburg, Lower Burrell, Murrysville, New Kensington, Upper Burrell, Vandergrift and Washington Township. It was formed in 2016 by New Kensington, Lower Burrell and Upper Burrell, then expanded two years later with officers from Allegheny Township, Vandergrift, Washington Township and Murrysville.
When Greensburg joined the Westmoreland SWAT in February, Shawn Denning, who became Greensburg’s police chief in March, said the team would have 23 officers who can be deployed to respond to high-risk search warrants, active shooter events, barricaded individuals or similar incidents within participating municipalities. The team has advanced tactical equipment, including body armor and armored vehicles.
To join the regional SWAT team, North Huntingdon commissioners on Oct. 19 unanimously approved advertising an ordinance that would allow the township police department to join the unit. The township must adopt the ordinance to participate in an intergovernmental police mutual aid agreement because of a state Supreme Court ruling that such an ordinance is necessary to permit officers to arrest persons outside of their municipality, except in cases of emergency.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.