PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s police union is raising concerns about dangerously low staffing levels following a disturbance that drew thousands, KDKA reported.
Around 2 a.m. on June 22, as bars closed, Pittsburgh police encountered an unruly crowd estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 people. Officers from neighboring municipalities, including Monroeville, Shaler and Etna, were called in to help clear the area, a move described as unprecedented by the police union.
| WHAT COPS WANT WEBINAR: Cops want safer, smarter responses to mental health calls
“In my years of experience here, 32-plus years in the city, I’ve never seen us have to call outside agencies. We’ve never had to call in agencies to come in and do normal operational policing,” said FOP President Robert Swartzwelder.
Swartzwelder said the department currently has 664 officers, the lowest in recent memory. He attributes the shortfall to a continued imbalance between retirements and new hires and warned the situation is “perilously dangerous.”
City Councilman Anthony Coghill echoed the concern, blaming prior administrations for pausing police recruitment.
“There were a lot of mistakes made,” he said, referencing decisions under former Mayor Bill Peduto and current Mayor Ed Gainey’s early tenure not to launch new academy classes.
The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department acknowledged the staffing challenges but said the situation is not putting public safety at risk. A statement from the department noted the addition of a full-time recruitment officer and said nearly 200 potential recruits are in the pipeline.
Contract negotiations between the union and the city are ongoing. While Pittsburgh is facing financial constraints, Coghill said competitive pay and benefits are essential to attract and retain officers. He added that the two sides remain far apart in talks.
