Pittsburgh Police Union Warns the Public is ‘At Risk’ Due to Staffing Shortage
The Fraternal Order of Police is warning that the public is at risk in Pittsburgh due to staffing shortages in the city.
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto froze police hiring in response to the Black Lives Matter riots in 2020.
CBS News reports, “In 2023, 102 officers left the bureau: 46 resigned, 55 retired, and one died of natural causes. That leaves the bureau with 735 sworn officers and 12 command staff, which the union calls the lowest staffing levels anyone can remember.”
The situation is so dire that Robert Swartzwelder, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, has issued a warning to residents.
“Citizens of the City of Pittsburgh and its visitors should be alarmed at these numbers,” Swartzwelder wrote in the statement.
