Brackenridge police officers return to patrols for first time since Chief Justin McIntire's slaying
Brackenridge’s three remaining full-time police officers returned to work Sunday for the first time since their police chief, Justin McIntire, was killed in the line of duty on Jan. 2.
“This was a tragedy. It was not only the loss of our police chief, but a beloved member of our community,” Brackenridge Mayor Lindsay Fraser said.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 talked with Fraser about the future of the department.
She said they can no longer offer 24/7 police coverage with only three full-time officers. State Police will now be assisting on weekends, which Fraser said they have been doing since McIntire’s funeral.
“We are grateful to be able to take advantage of that,” Fraser said.
Although Brackenridge officers are patrolling again, Fraser says there is no interim chief at this time. One of the sergeants has been named “officer in charge.”
“By Pennsylvania state law, the mayor is the head of the police department, and that really never came into play before because I had a competent police chief who was really great at his job,” Fraser said.
Before McIntire's death, Fraser said council had just adopted the 2023 budget, which included hiring a fifth full-time officer, but now the mayor says it's unclear if they will make any hires or look at a completely new plan for the department.
“We want to make sure that we chart a path forward that honors the chief's service and his vision for community policing in Brackenridge,” Fraser said.
Fraser added it will take many months to come up with a long-term plan.
State police are offering their services free of charge, which Fraser said is standard protocol when a local department is not able to provide full coverage.
