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Essential Pittsburgh: Recruitment Proving Difficult for State Police

AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam

The nation’s oldest state law enforcement agency is in need of recruits. The Pennsylvania State Police are looking for qualified candidates to fill a growing number of vacant positions. However, attracting more men and women to consider careers as troopers has been difficult. Corporal Brian Carpenter says he thinks recent new events involving police and the public have deterred many applicants:
 

"I think that some times even the good people say 'I don't know if I'm willing to go ahead and make the sacrifices that it takes to become a Pennsylvania State Trooper.'" - Corporal Brian Carpenter

Neighbors Concerned about Major PennDot Project (starts at 22:32)

 
A significant PennDOT reconstruction project along Baum and Bigelow boulevards begins this week, costing the state transportation agency over $12 million and creating what many Oakland, Polish Hill and Bloomfield residents expect to be a major headache.  Mark Knobil, Polish Hill resident on the board of directors for the Polish Hill Civic Association outlines his biggest concerns and PennDOT district executive Dan Cessna describes the improvements the project will bring.
 
Coloring Contest (starts at  39:34)

 
You’d be hard pressed to find an architectural symbol more representative of Pittsburgh than its bridges. The steel expanses are prominently featured in photographs and paintings. Lately there has been discussion about what color to paint the bridges. For a discussion about these iconic Pittsburgh landmarks, Charles Rosenblum, historian, critic and adjunct faculty member at the CMU School of Architecture, weighs in.
 

More Essential Pittsburgh segments can be heard here.