Pittsburgh Bureau of Police to shift to 4-day work week

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police will transition to a four-day work week starting Monday, Feb. 26.

The city announced police will move to four 10-hour shifts each week with three consecutive days off, as opposed to traditional eight-hour work days.

The city said the change is designed to enhance officer wellness.

“An additional day away from work each week to focus on family, friends, or outside pursuits is key to creating a healthy workforce and contributes to the Bureau’s goal of not only recruiting new officers, but retaining them for the long haul, " said Police Chief Larry Scirotto. Officers will also be afforded one hour of wellness time each week while on shift to use at their discretion.

Pittsburgh police will also be making the following adjustments to more effectively serve Pittsburgh residents and visitors to the city:

• Centralized deployment established for the night shift where police units will be strategically placed throughout the zones staffed by multiple supervisors and a night watch commander who will oversee operations and allocate resources to areas of need throughout the city
• New watch commander added to the p.m. shift
• Formation of the Violent Crime Division to include Homicide, Narcotics, Intelligence, and the Violence Prevention Unit with the overarching goal of reducing violent crime and gun violence
• Installation of blue phones with a direct line to 9-1-1 outside all six police zones and the Downtown Public Safety Center for use between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. when officers are deployed in the field
• Creation of an enhanced Telephone Reporting Unit (TRU) operating from 7-3 a.m. daily, including weekends. Dispatch will assign reports to the TRU for calls that do not require an in-person response by officers. TRU will NOT be assigned to any “In Progress” call where a suspect may be on scene, any crime where a person may need medical aid, any domestic dispute, calls with evidence, or where the Mobile Crime Unit will be requested to process a scene
• Creation of the Pittsburgh Police Cares portal on the City of Pittsburgh website modeled on the current Zone 1 Cares initiative. The online portal will be one-stop shopping for police/community engagement events, safety alerts, monthly crime statistics, and zone/neighborhood-centered news
• Online citizen reporting

“Following thorough audits of how police resources were being allocated, these improvements are backed by data to ensure that the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is serving the city in the most efficient and responsible manner, placing the primary focus on areas of concern to enhance quality of life in our neighborhoods, improve community/police partnerships, and prioritize officer wellness. These are my key priorities for the Bureau, which will only serve to strengthen public safety in the city,” said Scirotto.

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