4 May 2024
Last month, the Pittsburgh Police implemented various changes to the Police Bureau in an attempt to cut down on gun violence and make the police department more accessible. The biggest headline of these changes was the switch to 10-hour shifts and only four workdays per week for each officer, compared to the previous five 8-hour shifts per officer [1]. The other changes, though they did not get as much media attention, may be more important. A Violent Crime Division was created in an attempt to reduce gun violence by paying more attention to intelligence and homicides. Additionally, new public phones and an app have been created to hone in on public safety and make knowledge of crime and the police more accessible [2]. This is a big step in the right direction for creating a safer society through implementing a better working environment for officers, as well as increasing resources for residents. Many of the changes regarding public access to safety services are common throughout the country; however, the changes in police working hours is a relatively new idea and could seriously benefit the policing institution. If these changes display positive results and achieve their intended goals, police departments nationwide should look into prioritizing officer wellness to create a safer and possibly less hostile environment.
The first major change that was headlined in all of the news articles covering the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police was the changing hours of the police workday. Up until February 25th, officers would work five 8-hour shifts per week — a very tedious schedule, but a common schedule in the U.S. Now, they each will work four 10-hour shifts, in an attempt to give them more days off to lessen both mental and physical stress [3]. The bureau hopes that this will not only draw in more aspiring officers to account for the more days off, as they are always looking for new employees, but also keep their officers for longer, as they’ll be more fit. This is a main priority for the Pittsburgh Chief of Police, Larry Scirotto, who wants to focus on the preservation of his officers [4]. Scirotto stated that he believes that this change will be good for officer wellness. However, he also stated that he made this change because this is what the officers wanted [5].
Most of the other major changes to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police focused on public access to police. The Bureau of Police implemented blue phones that have a direct line to 9-1-1 outside of all of the police stations downtown, as well as various other locations throughout the city in an attempt to give people easier access to calling the police [6]. They also implemented a new phone response service, called the Telephone Reporting Service, which allows for responses to phone calls in cases that do not require immediate police attention while mainly focusing on situations where a police report is needed. This system allows for police reports to be made over the phone rather than officers coming to the scene [7]. The last public safety measure implemented is the Pittsburgh Police Cares portal, an online app that allows people to access police events, crime alerts, and crime statistics in their area. This app is regulated by the city of Pittsburgh, and unlike other apps, offers the all in one service of allowing citizens to report crimes, having the city crime statistics on the app, and covering news based on the users area [8]. With the addition of these three public services, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police believes they can better regulate common street crime.
The other main topic that the Bureau focused on was implementing the Violent Crime Division. This is a brand-new division in the police force that will focus on narcotics, homicides, intelligence, and the violence prevention unit [9]. This Division mainly focuses on cutting down on gun violence within Pittsburgh, as well as higher scale drug operations. Though these are uncommon, a unit to crack down on the minimal cases seemed like a good idea to the Bureau. If this seems to reach its goal of decreasing gun violence, cities around the country should look into making similar changes in their own police forces.
Though these changes were recent and little data has been collected, there has not been an increase in the incidents targeted due to these changes, and they seem to be focusing on the areas that are most urgent in America, not specifically Pittsburgh as a whole. Public safety and decreasing gun violence are areas that nearly every police force in America needs to focus on due to the drastic increase in gun-related murders over the past few years. According to The Pew Research Center, since 2017, there have been about 7,000 more murders with guns per year [10]. The approach of trying to make police officers’ jobs less tedious and giving them more days off is a very professional approach to this issue, and should this initiative lead to positive results, it will set a precedent for other departments nationwide to follow. They are making notable changes that prioritize the safety of the public and the wellness of the officers, which shows where their priorities lie and how they are aiming to address the recent trends in gun violence throughout America.
Image via Pexels Free Photos.
Works Cited
[1] “Pittsburgh Police Make Organizational Changes to Better Serve Pittsburgh.” City of Pittsburgh., 2024, pittsburghpa.gov/press-releases/press-releases/6386.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Operational Changes in Place for Pittsburgh Police.” WTAE, 26 Feb. 2024, www.wtae.com/article/pittsburgh-police-scirotto-changes/46930031. Accessed 27 Mar. 2024.
[6] “Pittsburgh Police Make Organizational Changes to Better Serve Pittsburgh.” City of Pittsburgh., 2024, pittsburghpa.gov/press-releases/press-releases/6386.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] “11 Investigates: Pittsburgh Police Chief Considering 12-Hour Shifts.” WPXI, 3 Apr. 2024, www.wpxi.com/news/local/11-investigates-pittsburgh-police-chief-considering-12-hour-shifts/X3ULVHV3M5DFBN2H7SGGRNZU4Y/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
[10] NW, 1615 L. St, et al. “U.S. Saw Record Numbers of Gun Suicides and Gun Murders in 2021.” Pew Research Center, 24 Apr. 2023, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/ft_23-04-20_gundeathsupdate_2/.
Policy & Political Review 