The talk yesterday was about who should talk -- and who shouldn't -- in the wake of the April 4 killings of three Pittsburgh police officers.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said all officers should meet with grief counselors, and if too few do it voluntarily, he might make it mandatory. Police union leadership said such an order might not get officers talking.

But the lawyer for accused killer Richard A. Poplawski said Gov. Ed Rendell and other officials were doing too much talking and that they should keep their thoughts to themselves on whether Mr. Poplawski should get the death penalty.

City Council members, meanwhile, moved to create a committee to talk about officer safety -- something police brass said might not be needed.

Mr. Ravenstahl said officers were "responding admirably" to the stress of seeing three of their own gunned down in Stanton Heights, but some may be keeping too much of a stiff upper lip.

"They're acting as professionals, no doubt, and masking some of the pain that they have. It's OK to have pain," he said.

Too few are using grief counseling, he said. "In many cases, they have declined or deferred, and it may come to the point where we have to require them" to talk with counselors, he said. "At the roll calls, potentially, we're going to bring in grief counselors to speak with the officers before they head out on their shifts."

"He can put us in a room, but whether or not people would speak to someone, that's an individual choice," said Dan O'Hara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police lodge representing city officers. He believes the mayor's concern is genuine, but added, "we have to monitor our own."

The FOP's Police Officer Support Team of retired and active officers with crisis management training is working the zone stations, said Bill Burke, a retired city sergeant and secretary of that group. "There was a good number of officers who took advantage of it," he said.

He said the team will hold two Wednesday meetings for families of officers, who can get help by calling 888-387-2214.

"On an emotional level, it's very difficult," police Chief Nate Harper said of the healing process. "Even with the support that we're getting from other agencies, it's a hilly process."

Deputy police Chief Paul Donaldson said the bureau doesn't know which officers have used the counseling services now available, including the city's employee assistance program, the FOP's team, and private groups, since services are confidential.

He didn't rule out mandatory sit-downs, though he said that if "you mandate something, it diminishes the value of it."

Mr. Ravenstahl said there has been "a spike in call-offs," due to officers trying "to get their mental state of mind in a better place" before returning to the streets.

Chief Harper said it wasn't clear whether recent absenteeism was due to last week's memorial events, stress related to the shootings or illness. He said zone staffing hasn't been compromised.

In a court filing yesterday, Mr. Poplawski's attorney, public defender Lisa G. Middleman, asked that Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey A. Manning extend a gag order in the case -- which now binds police investigators, attorneys, court and jail personnel -- to include the governor and all public officials.

"Should the district attorney of Allegheny County elect to pursue a sentence of death," Ms. Middleman wrote in the court filing, "the decision of penalty must be made by a jury of impartial, unbiased individuals unaffected by the pressure of public opinion."

She continued, "The opinions of public officials have a greater impact on the general public than those of the average citizen."

When Mr. Rendell was asked this week about Mr. Poplawski, he said he would sign a death warrant for the 22-year-old Stanton Heights man "without a moment's thought."

Chuck Ardo, press secretary for Mr. Rendell, said the governor did not intend to "pre-judge the suspect's guilt or innocence. He simply meant that if [Mr. Poplawski is] found guilty by a jury and sentenced to death he would sign a warrant quickly."

District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has not said whether he will seek the death penalty for Mr. Poplawski.

Also yesterday, Council President Doug Shields said he'll create a committee on police safety, headed by Council Public Safety Chair Bruce Kraus, with police and union representatives. It will focus on equipment.

"We have citizenry out there who have better and easier access, especially through the Internet, to purchase these high-powered, semi-automatic weapons," said Mr. Kraus. "How do we better equip police officers to handle that?"

"I don't know where he's going with that, because that's what we as an administration do," said Chief Harper, adding that he will probably request new equipment to council soon. He noted the bureau has invested in technology like GPS systems and in-car video cameras, which should advance officer safety.