The Pittsburgh Police Department will be rolling out new changes in their response rule that will see them no longer respond to calls that are not considered “in-progress emergencies.” This move is being taken in an effort to address the staffing shortages that have been plaguing the department. According to the city’s website, calls that do not require an “in-person response by officers” will be handled by a Telephone Reporting Unit (TRU) that will operate daily from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. on weekends.
The department believes that this approach will greatly assist them in managing their calls more efficiently. However, this means that those calling with non-emergency situations will have to make do with speaking to the TRU. Creating the TRU means that dispatch will assign non-emergency calls to the unit. Furthermore, the TRU will not be assigned to any cases where there is a suspect on the scene or where a person needs medical attention or assistance.
On its website, the city acknowledges that the changes are being implemented after a long sufferance of staffing shortages. Contrary to popular belief, the city claims that the department is not understaffed by 112 officers, but by 160. The city’s original staffing requirement stands at 900, yet at the start of 2023, they could only manage 835 officers. According to the Pittsburgh Police Chief, Larry Scirotto, the changes being implemented are meant to address the imbalance in shifts that places more strain on certain officers than others.
Pittsburgh police will no longer respond to certain calls including theft, harassment, criminal mischief, and burglary alarms.
Between 3AM-7AM there will be no officers at any police stations.
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The police will not protect you. pic.twitter.com/ZoQbkREQUs
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Critics of the new system have cited fears that the department will become overstretched and the quality of service it offers to the public will decline. The president of the Fraternal Order of Police #1, Bob Swartzwelder, stated that the department is already struggling to cope with its daily workload and this new plan will only add more strain. Swartzwelder added that the department hopes their new strategy will solely be based on data to avoid any disastrous outcomes.
Despite these reservations, the department maintains that the changes will not lead to a decrease in the number of officers on duty. According to Scirotto, on an average night, 42 officers are on duty in the city, but this number drops significantly during the 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. shift. Nevertheless, the department assures the public that there will still be roughly 25 to 30 officers on the field executing specialized duties during these hours.
The department also clarified that the changes will not impact response to emergency situations, but rather focus on non-emergency calls. The TRU unit will only be assigned to calls that do not require an immediate response from officers. Additionally, there will be no desk officers at the six police stations in the city during the 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. shift. Call boxes linked to 911 have been installed at these stations to ensure that the public can still reach the department in case of an emergency.
These changes come at a time when the department has been facing massive staffing shortages and trying to figure out ways to manage the workload more efficiently. The overall goal of these changes is to ensure that the department has enough manpower to handle the peak hours when most calls are made. With proper implementation and constant evaluation, these changes may prove to be a step in the right direction for the Pittsburgh Police Department.
