Butler's new police chief, Robert O'Neill, said he inherited a police department comprised of hard-working officers who are supported by the community.

“I literally can't think of a better group of officers. They work continuously and they're working in some tough situations,” said O'Neill, who was hired in October by city council and started working in November.

For example, O'Neill said officers stepped up to cover the shifts of three officers who were injured during an early morning Dec. 22 car chase in which a suspect's vehicle struck two police cars.

“They've got a great work ethic. They just go out and do their jobs,” O'Neill said.

Some officers logged 16-hour days to cover all shifts around Christmas.

O'Neill said many residents expressed support for the injured officers and, more recently, for Gunner, the department's 7-year-old canine who had to be euthanized last week due to health problems.

The number of Christmas cards the department received was overwhelming, he said.

“It's nice to know the officers have the support of the bulk of the community,” O'Neill said.

Chief's profile

O'Neill was an officer with the Adams Township Police Department when the city police chief's job became available.

“I was looking for a new opportunity. I was very happy with Adams. After meeting with the mayor a couple times and learning about the position, I became interested,” O'Neill said.

He was hired to replace former Chief Ron Brown, who retired in July after 25 years.

Before O'Neill worked for Adams Township, he spent 17 years with the Cranberry Township Police Department, where he became a corporal and detective.

“I thought I'd be in Cranberry forever,” O'Neill said.

When he worked for Cranberry, he said he looked at Steve Mannell, the former public safety director and a retired Air Force brigadier general, as a mentor.

Struggling to complete his master's degree program in public administration from Geneva College to complement his bachelor's degree, O'Neill said Mannell encouraged him to see it through.

“He pushed me to finish. He said, 'You'll need it,'” O'Neill said. “I think education is a very important part of police work.”

Taking stock

O'Neill's assessment of his new department started with the personnel.

The city has 22 officers now, but applications are being accepted to fill two positions to return the department to its full complement.

With a full slate of officers, O'Neill said 20 officers would work patrol duty, two have administrative duties and two are detectives.

O'Neill said 24 officers is adequate and while more would be beneficial, he noted that the city has all of the officers it can afford.

The national standard for the number of officers a community should have is one officer for every 1,000 residents, but cities with concentrated populations need more, he said.

Butler's population was 13,757, according to the 2010 census.

O'Neill also looked at the department's vehicles.

Council purchased three new vehicles last year, but one was damaged Dec. 16 after it was hit on West Brady Street when a city officer was responding as township police pursued a stolen car. Another new car and an older vehicle were damaged in the Dec. 22 incident.

The damaged vehicles will be back on the road by the end of the month and two more vehicles will be purchased this year, he said.

New vests for all officers have been ordered. O'Neill said half the money needed to buy the vests was donated and the other half will come from a grant.

Another donor is providing money to buy other equipment, he said.

“Equipment is being ordered and it is coming in,” O'Neill said. “We need to get the officers the equipment they need to do the job.”

Fighting crime

Replacing police dogs also is a priority, O'Neill said.

Canines often assist officers while combating the city's biggest law enforcement issue — illegal drugs, he said.

“Eighty-five to 90 percent of our crimes can be related to narcotics,” O'Neill said. “Our officers are continually in contact with people acting irrationally because of drugs. Our goal is to eradicate suppliers. It's our goal to eradicate them from Butler.”

Blade, the department's second canine, was retired last year before Gunner was euthanized Dec. 28 after falling ill.

O'Neill said he wants the department to have one or two dogs and officers also want them, but he doesn't know when he can get them.

Most police dogs are imported from overseas and it takes three months to train a dog for police work.

“It's up to dog availability and training,” O'Neill said.

The department is using the “weed and seed” approach to drug investigations. O'Neill said the approach involves removing suppliers from neighborhoods to make room for good citizens.

“We want people to feel safe in Butler and that's our No. 1 priority,” he said.