(PatriotPostNews.com) – The new structure for law enforcement response in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will result in some 911 calls not garnering enough priority to dispatch a police officer and instead connect a caller to the Telephone Reporting Unit.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police announced in a statement that the law enforcement agency will replace in-person responses to calls about theft and burglary, criminal mischief, and harassment with the Telephone Reporting Unit. Calls considered “in-progress emergencies” will still garner a physical response from a police officer.
These emergencies include calls that request medical treatment, help for domestic problems, evidence calls, or those that would enlist the Mobile Crime Unit to process a crime scene.
The change in protocol took effect on February 26 and was one of several changes in operations at the agency, intended to rearrange the bureau resources to serve the city more efficiently and effectively, according to police Chief Larry Scirotto. Additional changes include a shift in work hours, leaving police officers to work 10-hour shifts four days a week instead of 8-hour shifts five days a week, providing three consecutive days off duty for every officer.
Scirotto cited the three-day break as “key” to achieving the goal of “creating a healthy workforce,” which aids in recruitment and “retaining” officers for “the long haul.”
Efforts to maintain incentives and retain personnel have become a priority among police departments in recent years. Limited staff and rising tension due to anti-police narratives have played a major role in the issue, which has seen a hiring crisis in local law enforcement agencies across the country for several months.
Pittsburgh residents have expressed concern that their 911 calls may be handled over the phone instead of by the physical presence of a police officer. One citizen told a local news outlet that replacing officer response with the Telephone Reporting Unit displaces the need for a police force at all.
Anthony Coghill, a councilman for the city, told another outlet that he shares concerns and “expects” a police officer to be on scene for reports like harassment.
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