Pitt-Johnstown police officers had to add to their duties this winter.
Due to wintery conditions, students, staff and faculty face obstacles and call for police officers’ help.
Pitt-Johnstown Police Chief Eric Zangaglia said once the cold weather hits, police received many calls from people saying that they had a dead car battery.
He said they provide jump packs for these individuals that will jump-start their car without needing another vehicle to help with the process.
All a student or employee needs to do is take their Pitt-Johnstown identification card to the police station and one can then take a jump pack free of charge.
Zanagalia also said another issue that arose was people getting their cars stuck in parking spots.
“When Physical Plant (employees) plow, sometimes we get calls because someone is either plowed in, or can’t get into a spot,” Zangaglia said.
For liability reasons, the police officers typically don’t push a vehicle out of a spot. Officers are to call Physical Plant employees to help because they have the ability to hook the vehicle to a truck, according to Zangaglia.
If that is not enough help, sometimes a tow truck is called to remove the vehicle so no one is hurt, Zangaglia said.
Pipes have also been a winter issue for the police; when they do burst at night, police are the ones who get the call first.
About two weeks ago, sophomore Alsaden Alquraini called for a police escort.
“I was visiting friends in the lodges with other people who live in the Living/Learning Center, and, because it was so cold and the sidewalks were covered in snow, we called for the police to give us a ride back,” Alquraini said.
She said the police complied with her request.