Michael DiVittorio | Tribune-Review
Oakmont Police Chief Michael Ford commends retiring police secretary Gail Altenburger on her 29-year career with the borough.
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Gail Altenburger did not have a badge or patrol streets, but she still made an impact on the Oakmont Police Department.
“I feel like my job here was more than just doing the records,” Altenburger said Tuesday night following her retirement recognition at council’s meeting. “It was helping people when they came in just the same way the officers did. Anyone who’s working in a police department or law enforcement field right now has a tough job. There’s a lot of angry people, and a lot of people who need a little bit of compassion.”
Oakmont and Verona officials are working to restore the twin boroughs’ Memorial Day parade.
The annual event to honor the men and women who fought and died for this country was canceled last year due to the pandemic.
Both borough councils recently gave approval to their respective committees to begin planning its return.
“It’s a good tradition we have,” Verona Council Vice President Dave Matlin said. “If we can do it in a way that’s keeping with the safety guidelines for covid, and making sure that people can still have some enjoyment on the weekend to kickoff the summer and honor fallen veterans, I think it’s great.”
Eight minutes changed the course of 2020.
It was Memorial Day. May 25. George Floyd was being arrested by Minneapolis police outside of a grocery store after authorities received a 911 call that someone paid with a counterfeit bill. The caller told authorities the man was acting erratically. Floyd, who is Black, matched the caller’s description of the suspect.
Minneapolis police officers responded and handcuffed Floyd. Shortly thereafter, Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was caught on camera kneeling on Floyd’s neck on the curb of the city street.
Floyd pleaded with Chauvin, gasping that he couldn’t breathe. He became unresponsive and later died at a nearby medical center.