City of Pittsburgh is launching a multi-million dollar health, safety, and social violence prevention initiative.
Two new offices are being created in Public Safety - the Office of Community Health and Safety and the Office of Community Services and Violence Prevention.
Mayor Bill Peduto says one office will coordinate police action with social service workers. The other will work with neighborhoods on matters like homelessness, addiction and mental illness that can lead to police action.
"It's a good day for Pittsburgh," said Peduto. "It's a way for Pittsburgh to show leadership and be able to show that we can reimagine policing in the 21st century."
"These offices are at the center of how we are working to reimagine policing – where we're able to create stronger public health and restorative responses to incidents that may have been seen as a sole public safety concern," Peduto said.
$5.5 million in the City's Stop the Violence trust fund will help fund the initiative.
Earlier this month, the mayor's community task force on police reform released the results of their months-long study. This new initiative follows recommendations made in that study.
