The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police announced Friday that a new police Telephone Reporting Unit will respond to calls that “do not require an in-person response by officers.”
Officers will still respond to “in progress” emergency calls “where a suspect may be on scene, any crime where a person may need medical aid, any domestic dispute, calls with evidence, or where the Mobile Crime Unit will be requested to process a scene,” the police bureau said in a press release.
However, this means that calls for things like burglary alarms, theft, criminal mischief, and harassment will be handled by the call center or online reporting methods, according to an investigation by WPXI.
The Telephone Reporting Unit will operate from 7 to 3 a.m. seven days a week.
Chief Larry Scirotto said he wants to slash the police bureau’s calls from about 200,000 calls a year down to about 50,000.
Pittsburgh’s police bureau also said that officers will stop working eight-hour workdays and instead work four 10-hour shifts each week so that they will have three consecutive days off.
That change is meant to “enhance officer wellness.”
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“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, ” Chief Scirotto said.
Both policies took effect on Monday.
Another potential plan involves having the Pittsburgh Parking Authority handle all parking complaints, which Scirotto said is the top complaint the police bureau receives.
“That allows our officers to be engaged in community in a way, now they’re at the YMCA instead of sitting on the 10th Street bypass with a bike complaint,” Scirotto said.
The new policies have been met with concern from residents, the police union, and members of the city council.
“When it comes to harassment and things of this nature you better have a police officer there. That’s what the public expects. That’s what I expect out of our city,” said Councilman Anthony Coghill.
The police union president blamed an understaffed police bureau.
“The staffing plan designed by police command is a direct response to a seriously understaffed police department,” Bob Swartzwelder, president of Pittsburgh’s Fraternal Order of Police union said in a statement.
“Only time will tell if the plan works or the Chief will need to pivot and modify his plan quickly. The FOP will be watching carefully for any contract violations that develop especially when non-emergency events come up such as St. Patrick’s Day, parades, large concerts, July 4th etc. In short, the FOP believes that the police department is seriously over-committed and under-resourced,” the head of the city’s police union added.