Pittsburgh says city cop gave unapproved interviews protesting vaccine mandate

A Pittsburgh Police detective protesting the covid-19 vaccine mandate for city employees has come under fire for giving unauthorized interviews to media outlets, including conservative sites that have been accused of spreading conspiracy claims.

Her appearances and interviews were unscheduled and unapproved, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety said Monday.

Pittsburgh Police detective Amy Dice claimed last week she was part of hundreds of Pittsburgh employees who were denied a religious exemption in their attempt to bypass the city’s vaccine mandate. Locally, she spoke to WTAE, as well as national conservative media outlets like the Epoch Times and the “RedPill78” podcast.

“(Dice) did not receive permission from her supervisors, and she did not inform the (public information officers, or PIOs) to speak with the media,” said Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson Amanda Mueller. “The matter is being reviewed in regards to policy, but beyond that, we can’t comment on personnel or disciplinary action.”

The bureau’s media policy defines an approved member as anyone “who has been given authority via the PIO, his/her supervisor or this policy to interact with outside media sources.” The policy dictates that interviews by employees who otherwise don’t have express permission to speak to the media “must be approved by the PIO or the appropriate Assistant Chief of Police.”

Dice did not respond to a request for comment about her unapproved media appearances. However, she denied involvement with any conspiracy theories.

On local Pittsburgh media, Dice claimed that she and hundreds of others will be terminated for refusing to comply with the city’s covid-19 vaccine mandate for city workers.

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The city said those claims were false and that the numbers Dice was sharing are “inflated and erroneous,” Mueller said. Mueller also shared a sample letter sent to those whose religious exemptions have been denied, stating that any disciplinary action will be on hold while negotiations with unions are underway.

“We want to be very clear that there is no threat to public safety,” read the city’s statement.

Dice said the city isn’t being transparent.

She said union officials told her there are between 25% and 39% of police officers who are unvaccinated and she asked officials to share these figures publicly.

“For the sake of transparency and to dispel any rumors, we believe the citizens have a right to know the real numbers with proof provided by the City,” Dice wrote in a statement sent to the Tribune-Review. “At the end of the day, this is about the overall welfare of the citizens and their City.”

During her media interviews, Dice also shared information about her fundraising effort to raise money to cover legal fees. She said in her interviews the money raised was to sue the city because she lacks faith in her union to handle the case.

Negotiations over the city’s vaccine policy are ongoing. Bob Swartzwelder, president of Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge 1, did not respond to a request for comment.

When Dice appeared on the “RedPill78” podcast, she spoke about her efforts to object to the city’s vaccine policy. She described the city as a “tyrannical government.”

Dice also talked about combating pedophilia and her religion. Dice is a detective in the special victims unit, which is responsible for handling sensitive cases like sexual assaults.

“All I do is, I hunt pedos,” said Dice on the podcast. “That’s my job. I’m coming for you. And now the city is trying to take that away from me, the mission I was put on this Earth by God to protect these children, and they want to take that away from me?”

The show’s host, Zak Paine, has expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, which believes without evidence that an underground cabal of Democratic lawmakers and elites are sexually abusing children. Paine was also on the Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 insurrection. He called Dice a “good friend of the program” during the podcast.

The Epoch Times also is known for spreading conspiracy theories, including those related to QAnon.

Dice told the Trib that her work is a “mission from God” and denied any knowledge of QAnon.