image description — At this time, the department's K9 unit was sniffing out the perimeter and the McKay Street parking garage.

UPDATE: Pittsfield Police Investigating Berkshire Bank Robbery

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
10:37AM / Wednesday, November 30, 2022Print Story | Email Story

It is believed that only this Berkshire Bank location is closed due to the robbery. McKay Street remains open to through traffic.

Updated with information from the Pittsfield Police Department: On Wednesday, Nov. 30, at approximately 09:21 a.m., Pittsfield Police Officers were dispatched to Berkshire Bank at 66 West Street for a hold up alarm.

Information from dispatch was that a robbery was in progress. According to witnesses at the scene, the suspect was described as a white man wearing a brown hat, black jacket, jeans, mask and sunglasses.

According to police, the suspect had passed a handwritten note demanding money. The suspect fled the scene and headed toward the McKay Street parking deck.

No cash was taken, no injuries were reported and no weapon was displayed.

Video surveillance in the area is being reviewed and aiding in the investigation. Evidence was collected in the vicinity of the bank and surrounding areas.

The investigation is being conducted by the Pittsfield Police Detective Bureau, Digital Evidence Unit, Drug Unit, K9 Unit, Anti-Crime Unit and uniformed patrol.

This remains an active investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police Department Detective Bureau (413-448-9705), call the Tip line (413-448- 9706), or send us a tip via text message by texting “PITTIP” and your message to 847411 (TIP411)

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Original Post: Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 10:37 am.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Bank's West Street location is locked down while police investigate a morning robbery via note pass.

Police vehicles have lined the surrounding area, and the bank's McKay Street entrance is secured with caution tape.

Police Capt. Thomas Dawley said the call came in around 9:20 a.m. while the robbery was in progress. He reported that the person fled the scene. According to police, the robber left a note at the bank demanding money. The amount of money taken is unknown, and there were no injuries.

"That's all we have right now, we're following up on some leads," Dawley said around 10 a.m.

At this time, the department's K9 unit was sniffing out the perimeter, and the McKay Street parking garage.

"We found some evidence. We don't know if it's related or not but we have the dog doing ... it's called an article search. So the dog is doing an article search right now in this parking deck and wherever it takes them," Dawley reported.

"We're also checking video right now from Berkshire Bank. Like I said, no one was injured, no threats, and we're just going to follow what we can. It's developing right now."

It is believed that only this Berkshire Bank location is closed due to the robbery. McKay Street remains open to through traffic. There are six Berkshire Bank branches in Pittsfield.

This is the second bank robbery in the city this year. The Greylock Federal Credit Union on Kellog Street was robbed Aug. 8 and a suspect arrested 10 days later. The Berkshire Bank branch on Elm Street was robbed in September 2018 and the suspect apprehended within two hours. Both were cases of unarmed robbery in which a note was passed to a teller demanding money.

In May, four people were arrested after an alleged fraudulent transaction at the Berkshire Bank in Great Barrington and charged with unarmed robbery.

Tags: bank robbery,

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Healey Announces Housing Development Supports at Former Pittsfield Bank

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:29PM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Gov. Maura Healey poses with the bank's old safe. The building is being refurbished for housing by Allegrone Companies. The project is being supported by a commercial tax credit and a $1.8M MassWorks grant for infrastructure improvements.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gov. Maura Healey stood in the former Berkshire County Savings Bank on Tuesday to announce housing initiatives that are expected to bring more than 1,300 units online.

"People come here from all over the world. We want them to stay here, and we want kids who grew up here to be able to afford to stay here, but the problem is that for decades, we just weren't building enough housing to keep up with demand," she said.

"And you guys know what happens when there isn't enough supply: prices go up. We have among the lowest vacancy rates in the country, so against that challenge, we made it our priority from day one to build more homes as quickly as possible."

Approximately $8.4 million from the new Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative (CCTCI) is designed help communities transform empty or rundown commercial buildings into new homes along with $139.5 million in low-income housing tax credits and subsidies through the Affordable Housing Development grant program.

The historic 24 North St. with a view of Park Square has been vacant for about two years, and Allegrone Companies plans to redevelop it and 30-34 North St. into 23 mixed-income units. The administration announced its Commercial Conversion Tax Credit Initiative (CCTCI) and the Affordable Housing Development grant program as ways to aid housing production, both of which Pittsfield will benefit from.

The state is partnering with Hearthway for the construction of 47 affordable units on Linden Street, utilizing the former Polish Community Club and new construction, and Allegrone for its redevelopment of the block.

The Linden Street project is one of the 15 rental developments the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is supporting through $25.7 million in federal low-income housing tax credits, $32.4 million in state low-income housing tax credits, and $81.4 million in subsidies.

Allegrone's project is supported by the commercial tax credit and was recently awarded $1,800,000 from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program.

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said she fully comprehends the importance of housing and how crushing it is in communities that need it and want to build, but face difficulties with high construction costs.

"Housing is the key to keeping people in the community in a safe way and giving them an opportunity to fill those many roles that we need throughout the Commonwealth in cities and towns, large and small, urban and rural, these are all important work. Having somebody fix your boiler, fix your car, we want those individuals to be able to live in our communities as well, particularly in our gateway cities," she said.

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