FOP blasts Pittsburgh police reform report

PITTSBURGH — The Taskforce for Police Reform released its final report Monday with recommendations for the city of Pittsburgh.

>>>CLICK HERE TO READ THE REPORT FOR YOURSELF<<<

The 15-member task force was formed in June after a series of downtown protests. After months of meeting, the group of civic leaders identified eight key areas of reform.

Those areas include eliminating racial disparities; officer wellness; re-imagining policing; recruitment, training, education and hiring; improving relations with Pittsburgh’s Fraternal Order of Police; transparency and accountability; use of force changes; and use of tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bang devices and less lethal methods of crowd control.

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“These recommendations will be our guiding influence as we make changes to police policy and budgeting to restructure police operations to make them more community-driven, safe and supportive for all residents, especially our Black neighbors. With these recommendations we will make real changes to policing, backed up by data and research, to ensure equity, accountability and transparency for all,” Mayor Bill Peduto said in a statement.

“I must also thank Pittsburgh City Council for its initial changes to police methods already put into city law this year,” Peduto continued to say in a statement.

“This is not anti-police. This is anti-police brutality and what we can do in order to train, recruit, promote, discipline and all the other facets of policing to make sure everyday a police officer puts on their uniform, they know they are a part of a very special unit,” Peduto told Channel 11.

The co-chair of the task force said the group feels things like rubber bullets and tear gas are “not in the best interest of the community.”

“There are other ways to deescalate and other ways of disperse. Look at those first and we are not taking the use of those objects off the table. We are asking for the experts to come in and let us know what is best, how best to use them, to have the best policy,” said Valerie McDonald Roberts.

In response, the Fraternal Order of Police blasted the report, saying they were never included in discussions. The agency sent Channel 11 a statement, reading in part:

“The FOP finds the report, and comments made by the Pittsburgh Community Taskforce for Police Reform (PCTPR) report troubling. The report, generated in response to protests that illegitimately generalize our members and shut down businesses, seeks to undermine the rights of union members via reform. The comments made from the Mayor’s office, and the PCTPR does not show neutrality or open-mindedness. It seems to be divisive and agenda driven.”

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Cox Media Group