Council committee hears progress report on police recruitment as city seeks to rebuild ranks

Pittsburgh public safety officials told a City Council standing committee on July 9 that recruitment for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has improved since the low point during the COVID era but that the department still faces capacity and retention constraints.

The briefing, delivered to the Public Safety and Wellness Committee, outlined current applicant counts and staffing steps: a cohort of about 165 applicants is in the testing phase now, the department’s academy typically accepts up to 40 recruits per class, and the city hopes to run three academy classes a year to produce roughly 120 new officers annually if the classes fill. The department also described a new recruitment video, two full-time recruitment officers and a near-final lateral-hire policy to bring experienced officers into the bureau at pay rates adjusted for prior experience.

Committee chair Councilman Coghill convened the discussion and called up Public Safety leadership. Anthony Palermo, identified as a commander and chief of staff for the bureau, said the department has two full-time recruitment officers and that the current testing group includes about 165 people. "We have 2 recruitment officers…