City leaders and law enforcement met this afternoon to discuss a critical shortage of officers.
Data presented at the meeting showed the city has lost 170 police officers either to retirement or resignation since 2021, only adding 26 academy graduates.
As of January 21, the department was down to 818 officers, despite budgeting for 900.
FOP President Robert Swartzwelder called the numbers abysmal, saying it's going to get harder and harder to cover the city's biggest events.
"Currently right now, there is absolutely no way you can have a St. Patrick's Day Parade, a marathon or any other event in this city without improving your staffing levels unless the city intends to violate the current collective bargaining agreement, which puts us in front of the labor board and in grievance to arbitration regularly," said Swartzwelder.
City councilman Anthony Coghill believes without significant intervention, the department could dwindle to 664 officers by 2025.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has offered to send some county police officers to Downtown to help Pittsburgh Police deal with rising crime.
In the most recent examples of gun violence, a man was killed in a daytime shooting across from the Wood Street T station earlier this month.
Last weekend, police heard shots fired into the air near Sixth Avenue and Smithfield Street early Sunday.
Bystanders ran for cover.
Fitzgerald most recently discussed the idea of sending county officers Downtown during a Cultural Trust board meeting, and has previously told NewsRadio KDKA this plan was in the works.
But FOP president Swartzwelder says the union will need to be heavily involved.
"I'll be forced to file an unfair labor practice on that because that's subcontracting, bargaining, and the only reason that would occur is because the city refuses to staff adequately," said Swartzwelder.
