Constables to get 'force' training
The elected constables who serve court papers and move prisoners for district judges in Allegheny County will get a refresher course in the rules of using force.
"We have to train constables to a higher level," said District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. "You put a gun in somebody's hand, they better know how to use it."
The Allegheny County Constables Association agreed to 44 hours of additional training on the use of force and tactical self-defense.
"The constables association's main purpose is to promote training and professionalism," said Jim Miller, association vice president. "We want to get on a more professional level."
Miller said constables are required to undergo 80 hours of classroom training and at least an additional 40 hours of firearms training, if they choose to be certified in firearms.
Zappala announced the agreement on the heels of an incident last week in which four men, two of them constables, entered a West Mifflin woman's home to search for a man wanted by police. The woman said Shawn Rini handcuffed her, threatened to have county Children, Youth and Families take her children, and threatened her with a Taser if she didn't say where the man was.
Police arrested Rini, 43, of Brookline on charges of impersonating a public servant, unlawful restraint, illegally possessing a Taser and false imprisonment. Rini is not a constable.
The constables involved in the search — Brian Vandusen and Derek Vasser — were not charged.
Zappala, West View District Judge Richard Opiela and State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Castille are among several high-ranking officials who favor imposing tighter control on the state's 1,200 constables. Their unusual legal status as independent contractors means they exercise considerable legal authority with virtually no supervision or accountability.
Miller said Allegheny County has about 300 constables and deputy constables. Elected constables can appoint deputies.
Richard Opiela, who serves as chair of the constable education and training board under the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, said the state lacks a law that clearly defines a constable's duties. Part of the problem, he added, is a lack of supervision.
"Because there isn't that direct supervision, it causes additional problems," Opiela said. "If we can get the standards tightened from voluntary to mandatory, I think a lot of those people who are problematic will fall by the wayside."
