Pittsburgh Police Cut 911 Response Criteria

Staffing shortages lead to 911 response problems. Pittsburgh Police Cuts Cops During Hours Of 3 a.m.-7 a.m.

The first change, is if it is not an "in progress emergency" police will not respond. If if happened 10 minutes ago. They will not respond. Instead people will be expected to file a report over the phone. If you call 911 they will transfer you to the appropriate people.

And the hours from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. you won't even be able to do that, you will have to call back.

Chief Scirotto says that the majority of major 911 calls, referred to as "priority calls" by the bureau, occur between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m., while significantly fewer calls are received during the 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. timeframe.

This prompted Chief Scirotto to reevaluate the allocation of resources during these overnight hours in order to address the ongoing shortage of officers and optimize their deployment.

It all comes down to the question, "What can they do?" They can't do everything.

I think it would be better if they just came out said, "You are on your own. We will be there when we can, but odds are, we won't be there when you need us." Of course they won't say that.

“They’re running out of manpower very, very quickly, and they’re getting very taxed. I think the strategy at this point is a hope and a prayer that they can base everyone on data,” Swartzwelder told the PG. “It may pan out to be correct. It may be disastrous.”

I found out about this by way of Colion Noir's video Pittsburgh Police Will Only Respond To Emergencies & No Officers in Dispatch Offices 3-7 am Daily. It is 9 minute video and worth your time.