O'Hara officers recognized for heroism, leadership skills

O’Hara Township honored several of its police officers for outstanding service, leadership and lifesaving skills.

Council chambers was packed with family and friends of the four officers lauded at the July 11 meeting.

Natalie Richards, of Hampton received the township’s Life Saving Recognition Award for her response to a possible drug overdose on June 24.

After being dispatched around 7 p.m. to a home along Spring Grove Avenue, she found a man in his 40s unresponsive. She performed CPR and administered Narcan, the brand name for naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. Parkview EMS assisted, Richards said.

“We were able to revive the male, and he was transported to the hospital,” she said.

“You really don’t think twice about it,” she said. “You automatically know what to do and how to respond to a situation like that.”

Richards, who joined O’Hara’s police force in May 2022, received thunderous applause at the meeting and a certificate. She thanked council and everyone for the recognition.

Richards responded to a similar situation more than a year ago when she worked in Swissvale.

Officer promotions

Township Officers Frank Benigni of Hampton and Ian Hill of Zelienople received promotions to sergeant.

District Judge Matthew Rudzki swore them into their new positions. Benigni’s wife, Chelsea, pinned on his new badge. Hill’s badge was pinned by his wife, Kellie, and their son, Anderson, 2.

Benigni, 39, has served the township for 14 years and has been a North Hills Special Response Team operator for eight years. He is a firearms, stun gun and less-lethal tactics instructor and has basic and advanced armorer certifications.

“It’s fulfilling and exciting,” Benigni said about working for O’Hara.

Hill, 35, joined O’Hara’s police force in March 2020 after working as an officer in Etna for eight years. Hill also is an operator with the North Hills Special Response Team and has had a variety of specialty task force positions.

“I believe that leadership is most effective when you lead by example,” Hill said. “As sergeant, I am determined to inspire other officers to hold themselves to a high standard, strive to continue advancing the police department as a top-tier department in the area and provide the community with confidence in their officers.”

Police Superintendent Jay Davis said that Benigni and Hill were selected from six applicants and underwent a rigorous civil service screening.

“They’ve shown a lot of initiative, and they have a lot of experience as incident command,” Davis said.

O’Hara has a force of 15 members, including Davis, all full time. With the promotions, O’Hara has three sergeants. The third is Sgt. Ben Wolfson.

New team member

O’Hara’s drone operator Officer Maria Sciacca, of Shaler, recently joined the North Hills Special Response Team as a drone operator. She formally accepted a position with its crisis negotiation team May 12.

She is in her sixth year in law enforcement. She served in Millvale for a year before coming to O’Hara.

“Because it’s a regional special response team, it allows me the opportunity to go more places than just O’Hara with the drone,” Sciacca said. “I’m able to expand the area that I’m able to help. They are an organization that is utilized for exceptional needs, special situations.

“Having something like a drone and having that technology to fall on is just another tool that they’re able to utilize.”

O’Hara acquired a model M30T drone from DJI Enterprise in June 2022. It weighs about eight pounds and can travel about 15 miles from its operator. Sciacca went over some of its features at the council meeting.

The machine is weather resistant and can be flown in all kinds of conditions day or night. It has a thermal imaging camera that can help officers find suspects or missing people.

Sciacca said she used drones for photography for years before her police work.