As drug overdose calls and other criminal cases rise amid a shortage of police officers, Butler’s mayor has called in reinforcements — temporarily.

“I’ve asked the state police to assist in protecting the safety of my city,” Mayor Tom Donaldson said Saturday.

Specifically, Donaldson requested troopers to help city officers patrol the streets for the next three months.

State police immediately answered the call and have been providing troopers since the mayor’s request late last week.

“Whenever we’re requested, we’ll assist,” state police Lt. Daniel Hines said Monday. “They asked for assistance and we’re here to help. We’re not in the business of saying, ‘No.’”

State police, per Donaldson’s request, are helping the city department with added patrols between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m. Hines would not say how many troopers are taking part in the enhanced patrols.

The additional manpower is for the “purpose of extra help in strictly enforcing all traffic laws within the city limits,” according to a handwritten letter that Donaldson dropped off Thursday at the state police barracks in Butler Township.

A day earlier, Donaldson made a less formal request in a telephone call to state police Capt. Steve Ignatz, commanding officer of Troop D Butler.

“What it boils down to,” Donaldson said Saturday, referring to his phone call to Ignatz, “it’s about safety. We don’t have the manpower.”

The understaffing, he noted, is due to vacancies in six positions. Additionally, two other officers are injured and off the streets for now.

Donaldson repeatedly cited his concern for the well-being and welfare of both the community and city police officers in discussing why he sought outside help.

“The only reason this was done,” he said, “was for the safety of my officers and my residents.”

He said the lack of available manpower coupled with more traffic and crime calls have taxed officers, forcing them to work more overtime.

“With the increase in crime we’ve just got more calls — overdose calls, everything else,” Donaldson said. “It’s tying my men up.

“With the drug overdose calls, we can’t be the full-service department we have to be or want to be, because we’re short staffed.”

Police Lt. Chad Rensel, who is president of Fraternal Order of Police 32, the union that represents city officers, said the increased crime in Butler underscores the need for more officers.

“It has been a violent beginning to the year thus far,” Rensel said in a prepared statement. He noted that the department already this year has been directly or indirectly involved in three homicides and an officer was recently shot at.

“The City of Butler Police Department,” he said, “is understaffed.”

The decision to seek added state police patrols, said Butler police Deputy Chief David Adam, was strictly Donaldson’s call.

“The mayor has the right to ask for what he wants in his town,” Adam said. “I have no problem with the state police coming in and running some traffic, it’s something they’ve always done.”

He added that the city has a long-standing reciprocity agreement with the state, as well as other local departments.

“They help us out and I’m grateful for that,” he said of the state police. “We help them out, too, as much as we can.”

Donaldson stressed that the additional help from troopers would only be for a short time.

“My request is for the period of the next 90 days, as we are working to fill the vacancies,” he said in his letter to state police.

Within that time, he said Saturday, he expected to have four vacant patrolman positions filled.

The department, which at full capacity is a 24-member force, currently is down 12 officers to patrol the streets.

In all, there are six vacancies due to three officers leaving to take jobs with other departments, a retirement, a firing and a newly created position that has not been filled.

Additionally, two officers were injured during a recent arrest. Both those officers are confined to desk duty.

Adam said that the short-staffed force has caused officers to work longer hours.

“The increase in crime has definitely put an extra burden on our officers,” Adam said. “They’re getting worked 24/7 and they need some relief with more manpower, which the city is going to do to the best of their ability.”

While the primary role of the troopers in the city will be traffic enforcement, that is not their only role.

“If they see drug activity, they can go for it or any other infraction they see — traffic or criminal,” Donaldson said of the state police patrols.

“But I can’t tell them what to do. They’ll do whatever they want. The presence of the marked cars, that’s want we want.”

The mayor said city police have a “good rapport” with state police and he did not foresee any conflict with his officers and troopers.

Donaldson, who is up for re-election this year, denied his seeking state police help was politically motivated.

“That’s bull (expletive),” he said. “It’s about safety. It’s not about politics.”

He also denied his decision was financially motivated, since the added coverage will come at no cost to the city government.

“The safety of my officers and the safety of the citizens of Butler,” he said, “is my only motivation.”

Donaldson said he told Butler Police Chief Ron Brown about his plan to seek state police help. But he did not consult with or advise the department’s union.

“It’s not a union issue,” Donaldson said, “it’s a management issue.

The union issue, Rensel said, is for the city to hire the manpower it needs.

“The City Council voted in February to hire the necessary officers to bring the police department up to the full compliment of 20 officers for patrol,” Rensel said in his statement. “I am assured that four officers will be starting soon, however they will not count as regular full-time officers until they serve the six-month probation period.

“As of this date, I understand there is no plan to hire any further officers. We will remain short two officers for patrol.”

Donaldson admitted that he didn’t let city council know of his decision ahead of time either.

“I’m responsible for the police department and law enforcement for the city of Butler,” he said. “As mayor, I am the CEO and I run the police department.”

Donaldson, meanwhile, left the door open when asked if he might seek an extension of the state police coverage after 90 days.

“I never rule anything out,” he said.

While he welcomed the additional state police presence, Rensel said he’s afraid that it might lead to a precedent.

“(M)y concern is that the City of Butler Council will never hire the necessary officers to bring us to the full complement,” Rensel wrote, “choosing to save money by freezing our staffing, and rely on (state police) to supplement the City Police staffing for the long term.”