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City council has officially requested $193,871 in police assistance from the federal economic stimulus package.

By unanimous vote, council last week approved an application for funding from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.

In Allegheny County, the grant was the second-largest to any municipality after the city of Pittsburgh, Mayor Jim Brewster said. The money will likely fund the replacement of several police vehicles, body armor for officers and other equipment.

The county is receiving a 10 percent surcharge for administering the grant, Brewster said. The money will be put toward county police operations.

In related business, Police Chief Joe Pero said that 11 people took the department's civil-service test in late March. He told council that the city hopes to have three or four new officers on the streets this summer.

The Byrne Memorial JAG Program is named for New York City Patrolman Edward Byrne, who was shot and killed in 1988 while attempting to protect a witness who had agreed to testify against a suspected drug dealer.

Communities that receive the funding may use it to hire or train personnel, purchase equipment or obtain technical and computer assistance.

Council also approved an application for the similarly named Edward Byrne competitive grant program, which provides funding for supplemental programs such as victim assistance and neighborhood outreach.

Other Mon-Yough area communities receiving funding from the federal stimulus package include Clairton, $36,093; Duquesne, $57,543; Elizabeth Township, $20,831; Homestead, $39,599; Monroeville, $57,955; North Versailles Township, $27,843; Rankin, $11,756; West Homestead, $10,519; and Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County, $11,550.


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In Other Business: An audit of city police payroll records will likely not be complete for several weeks.

Officials asked Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. for assistance after learning that seven police officers had turned in time sheets indicating they had attended court hearings where they were not present.

As a result, the seven were accused of receiving overtime pay to which they were not entitled.

Zappala recommended hiring an independent, outside auditor.

The overtime pay in dispute was less than $1,000 per person, according to a story by Eric Slagle in the Daily News and other published reports, and the amounts were called "minimal" by Brewster.

News of the disciplinary action --- which included suspensions without pay --- was broken by KDKA-TV's Marty Griffin in early March after an internal city investigation.

The Post-Gazette has reported that the officers suspended included the entire narcotics unit; the information has not been confirmed publicly and the officers' names have not been released. All have been reassigned, according to the Post-Gazette.

At a closed-door executive session with Brewster and Pero on March 31, several city councilors reportedly vented their frustration because they were not informed of the disciplinary action before they learned about it from the media.

In addition, City Controller Ray Malinchak, saying the suspensions were not sufficient to make the city whole, has recommended the officers be required to reimburse any pay they received improperly.