Having worked for the Hampton Township Police Department for 25 years, Officer Pete Halli is enjoying a slower-paced career as a school resource officer at Blessed Trinity Academy in Indiana Township.
But that doesn’t mean he’s let his guard down.
“Our job is not only about providing a safe environment for the students and teachers but also about building relationships and bonding with the students. Being in the building every day and getting to know the students will help them build trust with law enforcement and build a bond that will hopefully last a lifetime for them,” said Halli, who was born and raised in Hampton.
Halli, a police officer since 1998, now spends five days a week at the school.
Before his retirement from the Hampton Township Police Department, Halli served 10-plus years as a sergeant in charge of the Hampton Township School District’s School Resource Officer program and also supervised several other functions within the police department, he said.
He is one of many school resource officers who work within the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh in its Safety and Security Department.
Halli was hired by the diocese in March, starting at Blessed Trinity Academy for the beginning of the school year in August.
Blessed Trinity Academy is part of the Northern Hills Regional Catholic Schools of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. The private school instructs pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and also features the St. Anthony’s Program, a Catholic-based inclusion educational environment for children with special needs.
The school is in Indiana Township, which is part of the Fox Chapel Area School District. However, the church on campus is located in Hampton, according to Meredith Kandravy, spokesperson for the academy.
Along with Blessed Trinity Academy, Halli also keeps students safe at Holy Cross Academy in Ross, and his schedule varies purposely between the schools, according to Peggy Ruefle, principal of Blessed Trinity Academy.
Letting parents know that Halli is present every Friday morning during Mass celebration “helped to give some parents peace of mind,” Ruefle said.
Additionally, all the church doors are secured and monitored by Halli, she said.
“I am outside with students any time they are outside of the school building. I make sure that our school buildings are secure each day, and I interact with the students when they are not in class. I enjoy the slower pace of the school day as opposed to the police job I retired from,” he said.
This year, all of the diocesan schools of Pittsburgh had resource officers on campuses, Ruefle said.
“We must remain vigilant and attentive to the world around us and what is happening around the country with schools and places of worship. I enjoy working with and getting to know the students and staff of both schools and protecting them,” Halli said.
Halli is familiar with the parochial school system having attended St. Ursula Catholic School, which closed in 2017, in Hampton until eighth grade. He then graduated from Hampton School District in 1993, then went to Penn State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1997. The Hampton resident is a 1997 graduate of the Allegheny County Police Academy.
Theresa McKaveney, who teaches third grade at Blessed Trinity Academy, said Halli has helped to make procedures at the school safer.
“Officer Pete Hali has quickly become someone the kids know will keep them safe. Pete takes the time to get to know the students and things going on in their lives. He always has a smile and a good word for everyone,” McKaveney said.
One could say it’s been a blessing.
“I can already see the excitement in them each day that they see me in the building. It has been a great year so far,” Halli said.
