PSVP Partner Remembers Officer Paul Sciullo

I know I am not alone in my inability to stop thinking about the horrible and senseless tragedy that took place this weekend in our City.  For me, the event became very real as it was still happening.  My babysitter was due at my house but called to tell me she was barricaded in her home because of a police stand-off around the corner from her.  She described what it was like to hear shots fired and the chaos that soon followed. 

After the showdown concluded and the story of what happened began to unfold, it all became even more real for me.  Through PSVP, I had the opportunity last summer to participate in a police ride-along.  One of the officers that I rode with was Officer Paul Sciullo (one of the three officers who died Saturday).  Officer Sciullo had only been with the police force for a little over a year at the time of our ride-along.  He had spent the previous decade working with computers and had decided that he wanted to make more of a difference in his life.  He was loving his work with the police. 

He was not alone in his dedication and love of working with the police force as each officer I rode with absolutely loved their job.  I was so impressed with the men I rode with for their professionalism, the compassion they showed in situations we encountered that night and their personal dedication to making Pittsburgh a safer place for us all. 

The one comment the officers made that still rings in my ears was, “we never know what we are going to encounter when we answer a domestic call, each one is completely different.”  While this event might not have been prevented, let’s hope that our work through PSVP can help ease some stress in families that can lead to domestic disputes and keep our streets safer for those who walk them and patrol them. 

Tessa Nicholson