Gainey wants to triple number of police in Downtown Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey wants to triple the number of city police officers patrolling Downtown and open a new public safety center there, according to city officials and a letter obtained by the Tribune-Review.

Gainey spokeswoman Maria Montano said the mayor’s Downtown Public Safety Initiative has been in the works for more than a year. It would increase the number of police based in Downtown during “peak hours of activity,” and the officers would be led by a lieutenant and two sergeants, according to Gainey’s undated letter to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

“When I stood up last April and set a goal of zero gun homicides in our city, I did so because I wanted everyone in Pittsburgh to know that public safety was going to be one of our major priorities as an administration,” Gainey said.

“I knew that if we were going to meet this goal, it would require long-term systemic changes — the kind of changes that take serious investment and time to yield results,” the mayor added.

Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said police are creating a dedicated Downtown public safety center that will operate semi-autonomously under the direction of the Zone 2 commander.

“In addition to high visibility patrols and law enforcement services, the officers will be community engagement-oriented, fostering partnerships with all Downtown stakeholders,” Cruz said in a prepared statement.

Beat officers will patrol the central business district primarily on foot and bicycle, but they will have access to police vehicles and will operate out of the station at 600 Liberty Ave., Cruz said.

Cruz confirmed Gainey’s goals of tripling the police presence Downtown, saying the center will operate “seven days a week with two overlapping shifts, effectively tripling the presence of officers during peak hours.”

She did not answer questions about how many officers now patrol Downtown.

Robert Swartzwelder — president of Fraternal Order of Police No. 1, which represents the city’s police officers — said tripling the staff would amount to two shifts each with six beat officers, three bicycle-based officers, and two supervisors.

“I don’t know where you’re getting the bodies. You’ll have to get those pandemic cardboard cut-outs they used in the empty stadiums,” Swartzwelder said.

“Every single unit in the city is short-staffed. You can’t even adequately staff your current units,” he added. “They’re going to have to short-change somebody somewhere.”

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The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

In the letter, Gainey said he wants to run two police classes to boost the city’s number of officers; double funding and staffing for the Community Violence Intervention program and extend the program into Downtown; and deploy 18 so-called public safety ambassadors, civilians who would assist police with “non-criminal nuisances” and connect people with mental health services.

Gainey also proposed Downtown improvements related to cleanliness and construction, including adding 40 staff members to the Department of Public Works to allow for more frequent trash pickup and launching a pilot program to bolster the conversion of unused office space into affordable housing.