Pittsburgh officials enlist help from nonprofit to improve relations between police, residents

Pittsburgh officials are taking another step to improve the relationship between police and residents by enlisting free help from a national nonprofit to host three professionals who will develop new programs in the city.

FUSE, a national nonprofit with offices in San Francisco and Boston, works with local governments to address urban issues, will partner with the city for projects that will aim to build relationships between police and the community, help youth make good career choices and reduce racial disparities among the population at the jail.

This work will build off initiatives spearheaded by the city’s Office of Community Services and Violence Prevention within the Department of Public Safety and the Community Task Force on Police Reform.

FUSE will send three researchers to help the city with these projects. The nonprofit offers its services for 12 months at no charge. It has worked with more than 100 cities nationwide since 2002.

FUSE has partnered with Pittsburgh before, focusing on issues like improving public housing and city buildings.

The agreement with FUSE was introduced to city council on Tuesday and has the support of Mayor Bill Peduto.

One proposed project will emphasize career opportunities for Pittsburgh students. A FUSE executive fellow will begin with a listening tour, working with leadership at Pittsburgh Public Schools and Partner4Work before connecting with the the region’s top employers and students.

The FUSE fellow will offer recommendations for “pathways that have the most potential to secure post-program agreements,” likely those with “strong training options and shortages of qualified job candidates.”

The project would build upon an initiative at the Public Safety Academy at Westinghouse High School, where Pittsburgh Public School students can train for careers as firefighters, paramedics and police.

A second program will explore the possibility of creating a police athletic league, an extension of ongoing efforts by the Office of Community Services and Violence Prevention. The FUSE fellow working with this project will develop pilot programs for the police athletic league, based on successful leagues from across the nation.

The third project will develop an adult diversion program to offer residents necessary resources to keep them from entering the criminal justice system.

This program will build upon the Foundation of HOPE’s work to establish the HOPE Diversion Program, which targets youth ages 12 through 26 who commit low-level crimes.

A FUSE fellow will develop a plan and internal infrastructure — including technology and training for officers and diversion case managers — to implement the program in at least two police zones. The fellow will also formalize a process for identifying who will be eligible for the program and creating incentives to encourage people to participate.

This program is following recommendations for diversion efforts suggested by the Community Task Force on Police Reform.