New changes to police staffing affect Squirrel Hill Zone 4 Station
“We’ve done so much to make sure our community is secure,” she said. “We have a very layered approach."
Numerous changes went into effect on Feb. 26 at the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
Officers now work four 10-hour days per week, resulting in an extra day off each week, an additional 52 days off per year. They will also get one hour each week of “wellness time” to be used during their regular shifts, to be used at their discretion.
Additionally, the Zone 4 police department will not be staffed from 3-7 a.m. During those hours, coverage will be assigned to Zone 5 on Washington Boulevard, meaning longer response time.
The change in hours is accompanied by new policies for how police will respond to calls.
A new online reporting unit and a new telephone reporting unit, operating between 7 a.m. and 3 a.m., are now being used, which will assign cases that do not require an in-person response from officers.
Officers are now expected to respond to 50,000 calls annually, rather than the current average of 200,000 calls.
In published reports, Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto said having officers respond to every 911 call was “not the most efficient way to use our resources.”
Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Community Security Director Shawn Brokos said that the changes in protocol mean that it’s important for the Jewish community to remain vigilant about safety and security and to practice good situational awareness.
The changes, she said, were communicated to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh before they took effect, and that the organization has already considered ways to mitigate potentially slower response times.
“We’ve done so much to make sure our community is secure,” she said. “We have a very layered approach, have great target hardening and have great community support from law enforcement and community leaders.”
She noted that the community has trained to protect itself while waiting for police to arrive.
“So, while I’m not happy with the changes, I think it’s a good time to reinforce in our community that we have come so far and our community is safe,” Brokos said. “We have infrastructure in place, and we can lean on one another and look out for one another.”
In another layer of security, Brokos said that Federation is readying a new virtual neighborhood watch beginning in Squirrel Hill.
The organization will soon solicit community members with doorbell monitors and start a registry, creating coverage to assist police and better identify suspicious activity. PJC
–David Rullo
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