PITTSBURGH \u2014 Pittsburgh Police Chief Jason Lando is working to reopen the city\u2019s six police stations to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.<\/p>\n
The effort aims to reverse station closures implemented by former Chief Larry Scirotto.<\/p>\n
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 11 Investigates: Authorities provide more information on closed Pittsburgh police stations<\/a><\/p>\n Under former Chief Scirotto, the Police Department eliminated overnight desk duty officers and closed station doors between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. daily due to staffing shortages.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> 11 Investigates: Pittsburgh police overnight staffing to be reduced<\/a><\/p>\n Scirotto cited crime data showing fewer major incidents during those hours, keeping officers on road patrol while installing emergency call boxes outside station buildings.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh Police Lando, who was sworn in eight months ago, stated that restoring around-the-clock station operations and assigned desk officers is a key goal as department staffing increases.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely. That is, that is 100% our belief,\u201d Lando said regarding keeping stations open around the clock. \u201cAs we build up our numbers, one of the things we want to do is build back up those services. We want to get the stations back open and we also want to have designated desk officers.\u201d<\/p>\n Under the previous policy, staffing shortages caused some stations to pull desk officers for field patrol even during daylight hours, leaving no personnel inside to take reports or answer walk-in inquiries.<\/p>\n A local woman who went to file a theft report at the Allentown station found the location closed during the day.<\/p>\n \u201cI was pretty upset because whenever you have something you\u2019re reporting, a lot of times it\u2019s a time-sensitive thing,\u201d the woman said. In a separate incident at the same station, another woman attempting to deliver a protection from abuse order received no response at the door and had to contact a supervisor using an exterior call box.\u00a0<\/p>\n The operational changes drew public criticism from local law enforcement officials, including Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there any other large city in the country that\u2019s a part-time Police Department,\u201d Zappala said. \u201cI mean does that make any sense to any of you guys. It doesn\u2019t to me. I don\u2019t understand what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Lando said his immediate focus is ensuring coverage during daytime and afternoon shifts while maintaining emergency response capabilities across the city.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to look at our staffing and see if we can accommodate at least on the daylight and afternoon shifts having steady desk officers and getting those stations back open,\u201d Lando said. \u201cBut we want to make sure our number one priority is our ability to answer those 911 calls out of the street.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When Lando left the Pittsburgh Police five years ago to serve as police chief in Frederick, Md., the department had 900 officers.<\/p>\n While the city has budgeted for 800 officers next year, Lando stated that 900 officers is the ideal figure required to support full 24-hour station coverage<\/p>\n The city has budgeted for 800 police officers next year as Lando continues assessing department staffing levels to reopen stations during daylight and afternoon shifts.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n