Pittsburg, PA
Diocese of Pittsburgh announces addition of armed police officers to Catholic schools
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/01-25-2024/t_f083874c91bc443fb7d35c3b6e118b39_name_cathschoolsreport5pp012524_transfer.jpg?ssl=1 "Diocese of Pittsburgh announces addition of armed police officers to Catholic schools")
PITTSBURGH — The Diocese of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that armed police officers will now be in Catholic schools, adding safety is the top priority.
Last year, Oakland Catholic was among the many schools hit with a scary swatting situation.
“None of us can know what’s coming in the future we just do our best to prepare for every eventuality,” Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh School Superintendent Michelle Peduto said.
Four safety supervisors have been hired and job offers are being made to six police officers who will report to them, and carry guns in the schools.
“The hot button issue right now is violence but these officers also will be trained in first aid, emergency medicine and be provided with equipment so that if a medical emergency occurs or some type of other emergency occurs they will be able to respond,” former Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said.
The diocese brought Hissrich on, creating its own director of safety and security position in August.
He says the supervisors and officers are also coming with a lot of law enforcement experience.
“There was strict criteria in hiring them, they all have a vast amount of experience and the experience we were looking for in hiring these officers was that they are able to deal with people and deal with parents deal with students and de-escalate situations,” Hissrich said. “I want these officers to be role models “
The plan is to have one supervisor and two officers per each of the three school regions.
They’ll serve as liaisons to local agencies, should an incident occur.
Parents we spoke with are in favor of adding the officers but do want to feel assured that they’ll safely handle weapons
Leaders say, eventually, they hope to add more to the force.
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Rising Crust Pizzeria in Etna says it’s working navigate a difficult time after a truck slammed into the side of the popular shop last month.
The pizza shop took to social media on Tuesday, saying that they know many people have been waiting for an update and that they appreciate people’s patience.
“The past few days have been a whirlwind as we’ve worked through the aftermath of the accident and figured out our next steps.”
Late last month, a truck slammed through the side of the building along Butler Street when a driver lost control having just exited Route 28.
The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital and the pizza shop asked Tuesday that people continue to keep that person in their thoughts and prayers.
Rising Crust also acknowledged the support of the community in the wake of the crash.
“The kindness, encouragement, and concern we have received have been truly overwhelming, and we are so thankful for each and every one of you,” the shop said.
The shop that while they don’t know exactly what lies ahead, they will be back and ready to serve the community as soon as they can.
“Thank you for your patience, support, and understanding,” the shop said.
One of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top position player prospects is with the team for the start of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, though he isn’t yet on the 26-man roster.
Catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores has been placed on the Pirates’ taxi squad, which could potentially signify an injury to a player on the club’s roster.
The Pirates announced that they put C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. on the taxi squad
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) June 9, 2026
Flores hasn’t yet appeared in a big-league game this year and instead has remained in Triple-A Indianapolis, though it’s possible he’ll have a chance to make an impact for the Pirates in the near future.
Flores’ Background
Flores signed with the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent in July 2022 for a signing bonus of $75,000.
He posted an .874 OPS with 21 home runs between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during the 2024 campaign, putting him on the map as a legit prospect.
Flores was later used as the centerpiece of the trade deadline deal that saw the Pirates send All-Star closer David Bednar to the Yankees last year.
He slashed .281/.363/.459 with six home runs over 36 games for Indianapolis after arriving in the deal and made his major league debut for Pittsburgh on September 17, 2025.
Across seven contests and 17 plate appearances to close out the season, Flores logged a .627 OPS with a pair of doubles for the Pirates.
The 25-year-old has struggled quite heavily in Triple-A so far this year, however, owning a .207/.320/.344 slash line with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 53 games and 188 at-bats.
Flores was recently ranked as the No. 15 prospect in Pittsburgh’s farm system by FanGraphs.
“Flores has uncommon power for a catcher, and while aspects of his swing path (it’s long) and his tendency to chase make him likely to strike out a ton against big league pitching, if he can get to power in games anyway, he’ll do enough to be a valuable bat-first backup,” Eric Longenhagen wrote. “He’s best when he can get extended against pitches up and away from him, which he’s a threat to deposit from pole to pole. There are all kinds of late-bloomer traits here (Flores’ size, late arrival to catching this often, and small school background), and it’s possible that Flores will have a peak year or two where he hits 15-plus bombs as a part-time cacher and 1B/DH, just as there will probably also be years where he hits .180 and can’t control the run game.”
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