Pittsburgh police say they will no longer respond to calls that are not ‘in-progress emergencies’ amid staffing shortages
- Pittsburgh police announced this week that they will no longer respond to calls that are not ‘in-progress emergencies’ in the early morning hours
- Instead, lower priority calls will get sent to a telephone reporting unit
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has made major changes to its operation as it battles staffing shortages – including no longer responding to ‘in-progress emergencies’ and limiting the number of officers on the night shift.
Police Chief Larry Scirotto announced in February that during the earlier morning hours there will be fewer officers on staff and lower priority calls will get sent to a telephone reporting unit rather than a person. The chief said the changes need to be made so his 740 officers can more efficiently serve the community, reported WTAE.
According to WPXI, calls for theft, harassment, criminal mischief and burglary alarms will all be handled by the telephone reporting unit.