The warning signs arose toward the end of last month. In February, Pittsburgh announced they were making significant changes toward how they would maintain public safety and enforce the law. There are around 740 police officers, 100 fewer than what the city would like to have on patrol (via CBS News):
BREAKING: Pittsburgh police will no longer respond to certain calls & will instead be redirecting people to a telephone unit.
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 10, 2024
Those crimes include thefts, harassment, criminal mischief, burglary alarms, etc.
Additionally, there were be only 20 police officers patrolling the… pic.twitter.com/H5dqLud72W
Beginning on Monday, changes are coming to the operations side of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
According to police, personnel will be transitioning from the traditional eight-hour work days to four 10-hour shifts with three consecutive days off. Officers will respond to 50,000 calls instead of 200,000, police said. The remaining 150,000 calls will go to a telephone reporting unit and online reporting.
Chief Larry Scirotto said the change is in an effort to increase officer wellness, a priority for him as chief.
"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 Chief Scirotto.
Those same officers will also get one hour of wellness time each week which they are free to use during their shift at their discretion.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DEFUND THE POLICE.
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) March 10, 2024
The Pittsburgh Police Department has announced they will STOP sending officers to certain calls from 3 am - 7 am.
"Those calls will be queued up for the person that comes in at 7am to take the reports in the morning." pic.twitter.com/LcUTuFWgck
Some crimes reported might not result in a police response, instead directing residents toward “an enhanced telephone reporting unit.” Between 3 AM and 7 AM, there will be no officers at any of the six stations in the city. Folks in need will need to utilize the newly installed call boxes. The night shift will only consist of 20 officers patrolling the entire city.
If you want to commit a crime, go to Pittsburgh. What an insane string of tweaks this department made.