Pittsburgh Police Policy Shift Sparks Backlash: ‘The Police Will Not Protect You’

Pittsburgh police car. Screenshot via Google

New police department policies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have been the subject of backlash on social media sites such as social media platform X in recent days. A popular account shared a video that was viewed over 8.2 million times in less than 24 hours with the characterization “the police will not protect you” in relation to the new policies.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police announced the new policies in February, with Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto saying they are being implemented amidst staffing shortages to “optimize efficiency and enhance officer wellness.”

“An additional day away from work each week to focus on family, friends, or outside pursuits is key to creating a healthy workforce and contributes to the Bureau’s goal of not only recruiting new officers but retaining them for the long haul, ” said Mr. Scirotto.

What The Changes Are

The most notable alteration is that police will no longer respond to calls that are not considered “in progress” where a suspect may still be on the scene.

Instead, dispatchers will direct non-emergency calls to be handled by a newly established enhanced Telephone Reporting Unit (TRU). Callers will give their reports over the phone rather than having an officer take their statements in person.

Another major component involves transitioning police personnel from traditional eight-hour workdays to four 10-hour shifts per week, with three consecutive days off.

Chief Scirotto said the policy changes will improve officer wellness. In addition to the changes in the work schedule, officers will also be offered one hour of wellness time each week while on shift to use at their discretion.

“Following thorough audits of how police resources were being allocated, these improvements are backed by data to ensure that the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is serving the city in the most efficient and responsible manner, placing the primary focus on areas of concern to enhance quality of life in our neighborhoods, improve community/police partnerships, and prioritize officer wellness,” the chief said in a press release. “These are my key priorities for the Bureau, which will only serve to strengthen public safety in the city.”

The changes are mostly due to staffing constraints. Local Investigative Reporter Rick Earle with WPXI Channel 11 reported that the department had 740 officers, over 100 below the 850 that the chief told Mr. Earle they would like to see. The department had over 1,000 officers in recent years before staffing levels declined as older officers retired or retired early.

Other Patrol Changes

Furthermore, the Bureau said they are implementing strategic adjustments to better serve the entire city. Centralized deployment during night shifts, overseen by a dedicated night watch commander, aims to enhance operational efficiency and resource allocation.

Additionally, the formation of the Violent Crime Division, comprising units such as Homicide, Narcotics, Intelligence, and the Violence Prevention Unit, underscore what the chief says is the Bureau’s commitment to combating violent crime and gun violence.

In a bid to bolster community-police partnerships, the Bureau is launching the Pittsburgh Police Cares portal, modeled after another program in one district of the city. This online platform will serve as a hub for police-community engagement events, safety alerts, crime statistics, and neighborhood-centered news, which the department says will foster transparency and dialogue.

As officers will not be stationed on desk duty at the city’s police headquarters and substations, blue phones, essentially phone boxes attached to poles with blue police lights, will be installed at these locations to provide direct access to emergency services during early morning hours when officers are deployed in the field.

Responding to Backlash

“Pittsburgh Police do, and will continue to, handle priority calls 24 hours a day,” Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Cara Cruz said in an email to The Epoch Times. “At no time are citizens left ‘on their own.’ The data that informed these changes shows that only about 8 percent of all priority calls are dispatched between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. Priority calls are considered incidents in progress such as shots fired, panic alarms, domestic violence, suicide threats, crashes with injuries, robberies, and burglar alarms.”

She added that during that four-hour period when call volume is the lowest, there will be approximately 12 fewer officers across the city.

“The Chief is redistributing manpower to the shifts where officers are needed most, so as not to overburden the busiest shift (pm) and overstaff the least busy (overnight).”

Ms. Cruz explained that dispatch will assign the TRU calls that don’t require an in-person response. They will not be assigned to any “In Progress” call where a suspect may still be on scene, incidents where a person may need medical aid, domestic disputes, calls with evidence, or where the Mobile Crime Unit will be requested to process scenes.

“These changes were initiated by Chief Larry Scirotto and have the full support of the Mayor and Public Safety Director,” she added.