After a surge of Blue cities and states clamoring to defund the police a few years ago it appeared in recent days that the leftist radicals were beginning to come to their senses. But that new-found sentiment was shattered by a renewed commitment to the anti-policing movement.
Leftist Democrats who pushed for defunding the police were met with more problems than expected. Criminal activity rose, police left in droves, and residents lived in fear of what might come next in Democrat-run cities around the country.
Now the fear has escalated to a new level in one of the most well-known cities in the nation. In the dark of the night in Pittsburgh, Pa., don’t expect the police to come if you call them for help.
From The Daily Wire:
Pittsburgh police will no longer personally respond to calls that aren’t considered “in-progress emergencies” after recent department policy changes.Calls not considered “in-progress emergencies” will be assigned by dispatch to a telephone recording unit. In addition, between 3 and 7 a.m., when reportedly far fewer 911 calls are made, no desk officers will be present at the six police stations in the city. Instead, call boxes linked to 911 have been installed. During some overnight shifts, there may be only 22 officers to cover the entire city.
Call boxes linked to 911 have been installed in the city and people can use these to call for help. Pittsburgh residents can expect their calls to go to a central call unit.
The city website states, “Creation of an enhanced Telephone Reporting Unit (TRU) operating from 3-7 a.m. daily, including weekends. Dispatch will assign reports to the TRU for calls that do not require an in-person response by officers. TRU will NOT be assigned to any “In Progress” call where a suspect may be on scene, any crime where a person may need medical aid, any domestic dispute, calls with evidence, or where the Mobile Crime Unit will be requested to process a scene.”
Pittsburgh people may want to fall back on the Second Amendment and buy guns and buy ammo where it’s legal. How many criminals are planning their attacks after police officials publicly said this plan with as few as 22 officers on duty is good enough to protect a city of more than 300,000 people?
“It’s enough to cover the entire city in those hours when we have 8% of the time people are calling … I’m confident in the decisions that we make, that it impacts this bureau and this city in much better way than we have in the past,” Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto stated.
He just opened the nighttime window to let criminals time their actions when police are few and far between. People will need to consider implementing their own curfew to protect themselves.
The problem driving this wacky rotation of officers is staffing shortages, according to Scirotto. The city fell off the cliff in officer numbers from 835 to 740 on duty at the start of 2023. Proper staffing is considered 900 officers.
Scirotto told local news media that he cut 12 officers during the overnight shift but, “People think I cut 112.” His sentiment didn’t set well with the police union.
“They’re running out of manpower very, very quickly, and they’re getting very taxed,” said Bob Swartzwelder, president of the Fraternal Order of Police #1. “I think the strategy at this point is a hope and a prayer that they can base everyone on data. It may pan out to be correct. It may be disastrous.”
Let’s hope this plan does play out successfully, otherwise Pittsburgh residents may be facing a real-life version of the movie where criminals are free to run rampant during certain hours of the day.
Key Takeaways:
- Scared residents in Pittsburgh couldn’t believe how police began cutting services.
- Overnight officer staffing was cut to a bare minimum so calls will go unanswered.
- Cuts opened a window from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. where calls for help will be recorded.
Source: The Daily Wire
