Police Chief Larry Scirotto gives update on crime in downtown Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — A shooting on Smithfield Street in broad daylight in June led to a change for the city of Pittsburgh.

“In that, we’ve increased our engagement and visibility of our officers in those areas we know are most problematic to us with the people that are coming downtown for no more purpose than to cause chaos,” said Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto.

Scirotto is making sure officers on foot and bike are seen throughout the area, and he said the numbers don’t lie.

“There have been more than 150 arrests downtown. A lot of them have been focused on narcotics and drug activity. There have been 235 nontraffic citations, mostly involved with quality of life issues,” Scirotto said.

But the change wouldn’t have happened without the cooperation and support of business owners. Jen Grippo owns the Original Oyster House and heads the safety committee of business owners much like the South Side.

“It’s important for all of us to always be on the same page and to lean on each other, there are certain incidents I may experience that are different from my neighbors,” Grippo said.

She has felt the change and sees value in other community organizations who have stepped in to help too.

“Downtown AIM, it stands for achieve, inspire, motivate. What they do is engage with our youths outside the schools or inside the school and they get to know not just the students but the parents,” Grippo said.

Downtown AIM can assist on the streets when these incidents downtown involve juveniles. All these groups work together to make a change for a better downtown.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but I do believe that we are going to do that as long as we support each other stay communicating and have a unified voice,” Grippo said.

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