Pittsburgh Lawmakers Voice Concern over Decreasing Police Staffing Levels

Several Pittsburgh City Council members on Thursday voiced concerns about dwindling staffing levels for the city's police force and called for an increased police presence throughout the city.

Council members said they wanted to see more police at community events, mingling with people in the neighborhoods they protect and responding to even low-level crimes that currently are handled through telephone and online reporting systems.

But that's increasingly difficult, officials acknowledged, as the bureau is understaffed.

Most officials have pegged the bureau's ideal size at 900 uniformed officers. But Mayor Ed Gainey in his 2024 spending plan dropped the budgeted number of officers to 850, acknowledging that the bureau would not be able to reach the 900 threshold.

His proposed budget for 2025 includes funding for 800 uniformed officers.

Though it's a decrease on paper, that's still more officers than the city currently has.

Cara Cruz, a public safety spokesperson, said there are 719 sworn officers currently, plus 64 recruits currently working to become full-fledged officers.

In an effort to keep more of the officers on patrols, some administrative positions previously staffed by police will instead be filled by civilians. Already, the city is working to hire a dozen community aides for the bureau.

The proposed 2025 budget would add another 16 civilian positions, including four property and evidence technicians.

"I don't feel comfortable with the staffing numbers," Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said. "I probably won't vote for the budget because of those."

The city is looking to bring on additional recruit classes and improve retention, but Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt acknowledged the bureau is struggling to maintain a full complement of officers.

"For us to get to that 800 number this year was definitely not going to happen," Schmidt said. "Next year, I don't think it would be likely to happen."

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said residents are wary of watching the numbers of police officers in the budget drop.

"What I hear from the community is: Why are we defunding the police?" Coghill said, acknowledging that the city simply couldn't attract enough officers to fill more positions even if they were budgeted.

"We are defunding them," Kail-Smith interjected. "We are dismantling them."

The bureau has lost 178 officers to retirement or resignation since January 2023, Coghill said.

If staffing remains an issue, Schmidt said, city leaders could consider restructuring supervisor positions or bringing in more civilians to handle jobs that don't require uniformed officers.

Coghill criticized the bureau's recent move to telephone and online crime reporting for nonemergency incidents, such as when people discover their cars have been broken into or packages were stolen from their doorsteps.

He said people want to see officers respond to even relatively minor crimes in person.

"There's a comfort level of seeing a police officer coming to your house," he said.

But Acting Chief Chris Ragland said phone and online reporting systems help police more efficiently use their limited staffing resources. He emphasized that reports sent through those systems are still investigated and generate a full police report.

"It's the same report," Schmidt said. "It's just how the information is acquired."

Ragland said about 47% of police reports go through the telephone reporting unit.

Schmidt acknowledged not everyone is comfortable reporting crimes without an officer showing up in person. He pointed out that some people, like his own 82-year-old mother, may not be tech savvy enough to navigate phone or online systems.

He said the bureau may need to find a better balance between when officers respond in person to take a report and when people are asked to report online or over the phone.

Council members also called for more officers to patrol neighborhoods as a crime deterrent and attend community events to build relationships with the people they serve.

The mayor's proposed budget not only decreases the number of uniformed officers, it also slashes the bureau's budgeted overtime pay by $2 million.

The bureau last year spent over $19.5 million in police overtime, and officials expect the city will spend $1 to $2 million more than the $17 million budgeted for police overtime this year.

But Gainey proposed to reduce the budget for premium pay for police to $15 million next year.

"I am concerned about where we are in the budget with that," Councilman Bob Charland, D-South Side, said.

Ragland said a new timekeeping software is helping police leadership better track and analyze how they're using overtime hours. That, he said, could help them make better choices about when to use overtime.

Using civilians for some positions could also help reduce those costs, Schmidt said.

Still, Ragland acknowledged the decreased budget for overtime pay was a concern.

The budget also includes over $4.7 million to make improvements to a police firing range in the city's Highland Park neighborhood that often draws criticism from neighbors for being too noisy.

"The current firing range not only amplifies sound overall to residential areas that exceeds the decibel levels constantly, it's also not a great place for the employees who have to be there," Councilwoman Deb Gross, D- Highland Park, said, pointing out it has only a portable bathroom for police to use on site.

Schmidt said officials have looked to potentially find a new location for the range, but it's been difficult to find a good spot in the city.

The money included in next year's budget will allow them to install sound dampening mechanisms that aim to reduce the noise levels by about 80%, Schmidt said. The money also will help clean up and modernize the site.

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