Pittsburgh has suspended 56 businesses from hiring off-duty police officers because they owe the police department money for previous work, with debts totaling $500,000 and over 120 days past due.“These are vendors that refuse to pay. You have to pay your bills,” Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor said.Watch the report in the video player aboveThe list, detailed in an internal Pittsburgh police email, includes UPMC, Target-Pittsburgh, Whole Foods, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer, CCAC Allegheny Campus, Cheerleaders and Garfield Jubilee.“If people are taking advantage of the city, then they’re services that they shouldn’t be getting anymore,” O’Connor said.City officials said when the unpaid bills were brought to their attention last year, the total owed was more than $3 million, and efforts have been ongoing to reduce this amount.“These efforts have been ongoing over the past year as we’ve implemented a number of strategies — including no longer accepting paper checks and releasing an RFP/beginning a new contract with a third-party vendor (RollKall) for billing and collections — to ensure those accounts are settled,” Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson Emily Bourne said in a statement.Officials noted that nearly half of the remaining debt is owed by two entities on the list: Cheerleaders Gentlemen’s Club in the Strip District, and Garfield Jubilee, a nonprofit community development corporation in Garfield.Cheerleaders declined to comment, while Garfield Jubilee’s executive director expressed surprise at the debt, saying they never received delinquent bills and are working with officials to resolve the issue.Officials said the money owed is not taxpayer money but funds that go to the police trust fund. Either way, O’Connor said it belongs to the city.“We need every dollar we can at this point,” O’Connor said.City officials said once the businesses pay their debts in full, they will be able to hire off-duty officers again.

PITTSBURGH —

Pittsburgh has suspended 56 businesses from hiring off-duty police officers because they owe the police department money for previous work, with debts totaling $500,000 and over 120 days past due.

“These are vendors that refuse to pay. You have to pay your bills,” Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor said.

Watch the report in the video player above

The list, detailed in an internal Pittsburgh police email, includes UPMC, Target-Pittsburgh, Whole Foods, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer, CCAC Allegheny Campus, Cheerleaders and Garfield Jubilee.

“If people are taking advantage of the city, then they’re services that they shouldn’t be getting anymore,” O’Connor said.

City officials said when the unpaid bills were brought to their attention last year, the total owed was more than $3 million, and efforts have been ongoing to reduce this amount.

“These efforts have been ongoing over the past year as we’ve implemented a number of strategies — including no longer accepting paper checks and releasing an RFP/beginning a new contract with a third-party vendor (RollKall) for billing and collections — to ensure those accounts are settled,” Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson Emily Bourne said in a statement.

Officials noted that nearly half of the remaining debt is owed by two entities on the list: Cheerleaders Gentlemen’s Club in the Strip District, and Garfield Jubilee, a nonprofit community development corporation in Garfield.

Cheerleaders declined to comment, while Garfield Jubilee’s executive director expressed surprise at the debt, saying they never received delinquent bills and are working with officials to resolve the issue.

Officials said the money owed is not taxpayer money but funds that go to the police trust fund. Either way, O’Connor said it belongs to the city.

“We need every dollar we can at this point,” O’Connor said.

City officials said once the businesses pay their debts in full, they will be able to hire off-duty officers again.