by Juliette Rihl
Banning chokeholds, prohibiting the acquisition of military equipment and implementing a hiring freeze are some of the recent steps Pittsburgh city council has taken to reform the city’s police. But do council members think they’re enough? And what more can they do?
Police reform has been a focus for Pittsburgh city council for the past few months, following the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. The “snatch and grab” arrest of a protester by plainclothes police in an unmarked white van earlier this month, which outraged residents and made national headlines, intensified local calls for police reform and brought protesters to mayor’s doorstep.
Last week, PublicSource took a look at how much power Mayor Peduto has to implement police reforms. But Peduto isn’t the only local official with the power to make changes to Pittsburgh’s police. As city council prepares for a closed briefing with Public Safety officials on Thursday, PublicSource spoke to six council members and two experts on the extent of city council’s power. What changes may council members try to implement and what do they think about Peduto’s response so far?
While their specific policy ideas differed, the six city council members that PublicSource spoke to agreed: further changes to Pittsburgh’s police force are needed.
“The problem is not police officers, and not really even training. The problem is the nature of policing in our country,” said Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess, who represents East End neighborhoods including East Liberty, Homewood and Garfield. He said police are too often called for situations that don’t require law enforcement techniques, such as mental health crises, substance use issues and other nonviolent situations. Echoing the calls of “defund the police” advocates nationwide, he said professionals trained in mediation and conflict resolution should handle such cases, rather than police officers. The Stop The Violence Fund created in July allocates money for programs that provide “intervention, mediation, violence prevention or necessary supportive services” which reduce crime, according to the bill.
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Pittsburgh police reform: where do city council members stand, and what’s in their power?
Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess during a February meeting of Pittsburgh City Council. (Photo by Kimberly Rowen/PublicSource)
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