Crime

Ed Joyner to lead Chartiers Valley school security

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER — In an effort to bolster security in school districts across the commonwealth, Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 44 last June, mandating certain changes. One of those is that districts hire a school safety and security coordinator. For the 2018-2019 school year, the Chartiers Valley School District appointed its assistant superintendent to comply, and though capable, he did not have any law enforcement experience. That has changed.

Published

6 years ago

July 12, 2019

Courier Editor

By Christian Morrow

In an effort to bolster security in school districts across the commonwealth, Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 44 last June, mandating certain changes. One of those is that districts hire a school safety and security coordinator. For the 2018-2019 school year, the Chartiers Valley School District appointed its assistant superintendent to comply, and though capable, he did not have any law enforcement experience. That has changed.

On June 11, the board unanimously voted to hire Ed Joyner, a 25-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police and a former aide to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, to fill the position.

District Superintendent Johannah Vanatta said Joyner brings a lot to the table and will allow for the district to have an officer in each of its four buildings.

“While (Assistant Superintendent) Seltzer served the district well, he has many other duties and no background in law enforcement, safety, and security. School safety experts like NASRO (National Association of School Resource Officers) recommend that school districts place an officer in every building,” she told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “Mr. Joyner has an extensive law enforcement background which will serve him well in his role here at Chartiers Valley.”

The district, which serves students from Bridgeville, Collier Township and Scott Township, previously relied exclusively on municipal police for security. Joyner will now coordinate safety and security. Since retiring from the state police in January, Joyner, 52, has worked part-time with the Borough of Sewickley Police, but he is not unfamiliar with school security, having worked as an officer for the Pittsburgh Public Schools before joining the state police.

Vanatta said Act 44 requires school districts to be much more accountable in matters of safety and security. Beyond traditional fire and weather drills and safety and security plans, districts are required to report on safety and security annually, survey the community, include employee crisis training, and update plans annually with local first responders, among other things.

“Under the direction of the superintendent, the Safety and Security Coordinator will also be expected to understand the pedagogy component of the position and develop a school safety curriculum, write and apply for grants, remain familiar with current safety trends, serve as a district liaison with law enforcement, social services and other services such as homeless, mental health and refugee,” she said.

“Officer Joyner will incorporate the NASRO triad model—educator, informal counselor and law enforcement officer—throughout the district. He will coordinate training for faculty, staff and students regarding situational and trauma awareness, behavioral health, suicide and bullying, substance abuse, and emergency response procedures for fire, natural disaster, active shooter, hostage and threat situations.”

Joyner officially begins in August.

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This article originally appeared in the New Pittsburgh Courier.

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Oakland Post: Week of January 15 – 21, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 15 – 21, 2025

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January 17, 2025

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

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‘In 2024, We Had a Decrease in Shootings and Killings,’ Says Oakland Mayor Nikki Bas and Ceasefire Leaders

“The Ceasefire Strategy is once again being properly implemented and fully executed by all its partners as a data-driven gun violence reduction strategy. It is reducing gun violence in the City of Oakland with remarkable results and tangible improvements. The leadership of Rev. Damita Davis- Howard, Ceasefire director, Dr. Joshi of the Department of Violence Prevention, and the Ceasefire Strategy partners must be commended for this incredible work in ensuring public safety,” said Pastor Michael Wallace, Oakland Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission member.

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Some faith and community leaders who attended the year-end Ceasefire press conference are (left to right): Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, Oakland Mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas, Rev. Michael Wallace, and Brooklyn Williams. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

From Oakland City News Sources

Oakland’s Ceasefire partners, including representatives from the City of Oakland Department of Violence Prevention (DVP), Faith in Action East Bay, and other community leaders held a press conference Monday to discuss year-end reductions in gun violence and share community support for the Ceasefire Strategy.

“Our communities have never wavered from our support of the Ceasefire Strategy. We knew in the beginning that Ceasefire saves the lives of Oakland’s most vulnerable,” said Alba Hernandez, Faith in Action East Bay.

According to the DVP, Oakland will finish 2024 as the safest year since the start of the COVID pandemic. As of Dec. 23, there has been a 35% decrease in murders accompanied by a 33% reduction in nonfatal shootings compared to 2023.

As Oakland’s primary violence reduction strategy, Ceasefire seeks to identify individuals at very high risk of being involved in gun violence. Those high-risk individuals who are arrestable are prioritized for law enforcement action. Others at the highest-risk are informed of their risk and offered intensive community-based services such as life coaching, workforce development, and mental health care.

Ceasefire operates through close coordination and collaboration between the Mayor’s Office, DVP, the Ceasefire director, Oakland Police Department, and the Alameda County Probation Department, with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) and California Partnership for Safe Communities (CPSC) providing training and technical assistance.

“I am extremely grateful for the successful resurrection of the Ceasefire Strategy and for the historic declines in shootings and homicides that followed in just one year. I am proud to have worked with [former] Mayor Sheng Thao to reinvest in Ceasefire, and I commend the leadership of Brooklyn Williams in the Mayor’s Office, who has assembled a committed team that is saving lives every day,” said Mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas.

Said Pastor Hopkins, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, “I have been a pastor in Oakland for 36 years, and for each of those years the number of homicides has been a crisis in our community. Ceasefire is an answer to prayer because it serves to save lives by stopping the shooting and serving as a lifeline to healing,”

“The Department of Violence Prevention is grateful for the on-going support of Faith in Action East Bay and committed community leaders,” said Dr. Holly Joshi, chief of the DVP.

“Their vision to bring the Ceasefire strategy to Oakland over a decade ago, advocacy for its initial implementation, and determination to see it successfully re-rooted are commendable. With Ceasefire fully up and running, DVP life coaches and violence interrupters are in communities every day working with high-risk individuals, mediating conflicts, and preventing retaliatory violence. Through hard work, focus, and partnership, we have made significant progress this year in reducing gun violence,” said Joshi.

“The Ceasefire Strategy is once again being properly implemented and fully executed by all its partners as a data-driven gun violence reduction strategy. It is reducing gun violence in the City of Oakland with remarkable results and tangible improvements. The leadership of Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, Ceasefire director, Dr. Joshi of the Department of Violence Prevention, and the Ceasefire Strategy partners must be commended for this incredible work in ensuring public safety,” said Pastor Michael Wallace, Oakland Public Safety and Services Oversight Commission member.

“The Oakland Ceasefire Strategy is one of the most comprehensive, intelligence-led violence reduction initiatives I have had the privilege to be a part of and fully support,” said Oakland Police Department Chief Floyd Mitchell.

“The 2024 violent crime reduction data realized by the City of Oakland underscores the effectiveness of our unwavering focus, strategic emphasis, and strong collaborative partnerships within the Ceasefire framework,” Mitchell continued. “Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Oakland Police Department, and the invaluable contributions of our community, county, state, and federal partners, Oakland has achieved a 34% decrease in homicides, a 33% decline in firearm-related assaults, and a 25% reduction in robberies.”

“Oakland is once again a national leader in gun violence reduction,” said David Muhammad, executive director of NICJR. “Through the hard work of community violence intervention workers in partnership with city staff, police officers, Alameda County Probation, and others, many lives were saved in Oakland this year.”