Jarvis Pitman is a uniformed officer with the Steelton Police Department. When detectives Sonny Bonds and Keith Robinson arrived in Steelton to pursue the escaped Jessie Bains, Homicide Lieutenant det. William Miller had Pitman provide transportation for them to and from the Steelton Police Department. At the time, Pitman was a 20-year veteran of the department, but appeared much younger. He is extremely talkative, which eventually got on Bonds' nerves.
Events[]
On the second day of Jessie Bains' escape from Lytton City Jail, detectives Sonny Bonds and Keith Robinson pursued him to the city of Steelton, where he was planning to murder Donald Colby, hostage Marie Wilkans, and detective Bonds himself. The detectives flew to Steelton by plane, but first contacted detective William Miller of the Steelton Police Department's Homicide Division to arrange a wiretap on Colby's phone. Miller then sent officer Pitman to meet them at the airport in the department's helicopter, which they rode together back to the station.
Upon arrival, Miller reported that Colby had already been murdered by Bains; however the phone tap managed to trace a call to Colby from Steelton's Burt Park. Though an officer sent by Miller to the park discovered nothing, Miller suggested that the detectives have a look themselves. He once again assigned Pitman to take them there, this time by marked patrol car (Unit S56).
On arrival at the park, Pitman immediately received a dispatch call for a burglary in progress at Tenth Street and Violet Street. He pointed out the phone booth where the call to Colby was made, and excused himself. Before leaving, he wished the detectives good luck and told them to call the station once they're ready to be picked up again.
Behind the scenes[]
Older versions of Police Quest II named this character "Jarvis Pitman" when he picks Sonny Bonds and Keith Robinson from Steelton airport, but then calls him "Ernie Pitman" during the ride from the station to Burt Park. Later versions use "Jarvis Pitman" in both instances, making this his canon name.
In the Police Quest Casebook, the same character is called Willy Pittman.