One of the worst flu seasons in recent years hit the Bridgeville Police Department especially hard last month.
Around the middle of February, 10 of Bridgeville’s 12 officers came down with the flu. At one point, Chief Chad King was the only full-time officer who wasn’t sick.
“We lost close to 25 shifts,” King told council earlier this week. “In 19 years, I’ve never seen it hit like this.”
The problems didn’t end with the flu. After recovering from the initial virus, one-third of the department’s officer then relapsed with upper respiratory infections.
Everybody seems to be back in good health, though.
“I think we have finally pulled through that,” King said.
Food Drive Is Major Success
A food drive led by police officers in several local communities resulted in the largest-ever donation to the Bridgeville Area Food Bank, according to a BVPD Facebook post earlier today.
Drug Take-Back Box Will Be Installed Soon
The department will soon install a drug take-back box in the police department lobby. Residents can use the box to dispose of unneeded prescription medications.
Because of its sensitive contents, the box will be bolted to the building’s cement floor, and once every three months, the contents will be weighed and destroyed by the Pennsylvania National Guard.
As part of the program, police officers are not permitted to questions visitors about what prescription drugs are being dropped off into the boxes.
Secret Service Says Thanks
The Bridgeville Police Department received a letter of thanks from the Secret Service for lending a hand during Vice-President Mike Pence’s Pittsburgh visit last month: