City Council
Pittsburgh Police to launch leadership training after national review finds "a leadership issue here."
A 2024 review by police departments nationwide found a leadership issue in Pittsburgh's police bureau, a commander said. On March 25, council advanced a $20,000 state grant for leadership training. About 50 officers have been trained, but 200 hold supervisory roles, he said. The academy also trains county and Duquesne University police, and he hopes it'll turn a profit.
Written by Amy Whipple
Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Police (PBP) is using an Indianapolis model to train its ranking officers how to lead.
Council voted at the March 25 committee meeting to move forward with a request from the director of public safety to authorize a $20,000 Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency grant to provide police leadership training.
Zone Three Commander Jeff Abraham said the bureau went through a management assessment in 2024 from police departments across the country. “The biggest thing that they told us is that we have a leadership issue here,” he said. “It’s a lot of passing the buck.”
Police Chief Jason Lando said at his Jan. 28 interview with council, “I think morale, more than money, is one of the biggest things in policing that you need.”
In the past supervisors received brief, generalized training. This program, Abraham said, covers real-world scenarios such as how to supervise officers who are going through cancer treatment or who are in the media.
“All the scenarios that they’ve gone through, I’ve gone through as a supervisor,” he said.
Approximately 50 officers have gone through the training, but with 200 members of the department in supervisory positions, Abraham said, “It’s going to take a while to rebuild the culture of what we’re looking for in leadership here.”
The academy also offers training to police from the county and Duquesne University. Abraham said he hopes it will become a profitable operation in the future.
Connections to this story
- Local issues:
- Rebuilding Pittsburgh's police force
- Governments:
- City Council
- Public meetings:
- City Council · March 24, 2026
More surveys
Have your say on more of the stories we’re covering.
City Council
Pittsburgh plans to borrow K9 units for NFL Draft policing.
Between 60 and 90 explosive-detection dogs from 18 municipalities and agencies could be working the NFL Draft. On March 25, council agreed to bring them in, barring visiting municipalities from immigration enforcement while in the city. However, four participants are federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. Council didn't discuss whether the city could enforce the amendment with them.
Follow the issues:
The NFL Draft comes to PittsburghPolice K9 unitsPittsburgh as a sanctuary cityCity Council
Land Bank seeks staffing funds as inventory grows to 5,000 parcels with thousands more eligible.
The Pittsburgh Land Bank's roughly 5,000 parcels are now mostly buildings instead of land, its director said. The Urban Redevelopment Authority has asked council for $157,175 to help pay land bank staff. She said the shift requires in-house experts to review structures and plan stabilization work. Next week, council is scheduled to vote on the request.
Follow the issues:
The Land Bank and the city's vacant homesSchool Board
Calendar questions answered.
Pittsburgh Public Schools parents have asked a board member how to weigh in on the calendar. A committee of staff, parents, teachers, and a social worker drew up the draft. If the board approves the proposed 2026-2027 calendar, students won't get the Monday after Thanksgiving off. That day used to open deer season, but the state moved it this year.
Follow the issues:
Setting the PPS calendarSchool Board
Summer “Learn and Earn” applications open.
Positions in Summer Learn and Earn fill up quickly, a school board member said. Applications are open now, and she urged interested families to apply soon. Students who've enrolled before only need to verify their address and parent income. For help, local librarians have been trained to assist, another board member said.
Follow the issues:
Youth jobs and job trainingSchool Board
80% of COVID compensatory service funds remain unspent.
Some Pittsburgh Public Schools families may not know their kids are owed services missed in the pandemic. The district says it owes students with disabilities over 600,000 hours, and most haven't received them. This spring, the district plans robocalls to families using under 15% of their hours. This week, the board is set to approve summer programs to provide them.
Follow the issues:
COVID services still owed to PPS studentsCity Council
Heinz Endowments' $750,000 grant revives city comprehensive plan.
Council members say outreach for Pittsburgh's comprehensive plan has favored some neighborhoods over others. Now a $750,000 grant from The Heinz Endowments means the city won't have to cancel the plan. The mayor's chief of staff shared that concern and said the city plans one meeting per council district. The plan is projected to be done by summer's end.
Follow the issues:
Pittsburgh's comprehensive planBig donors, public billsCity Council
Proposed $20 million annual fleet fund put on hold as city spends $400,000 a month on vehicle repairs.
During the late-January snowstorm, 37 city plows broke down in one night. On March 18, council put a proposed new-vehicle fund on hold for six more weeks. A council member sought the delay because the mayor plans to reopen the 2026 budget. Meanwhile, the city spends about $400,000 a month on repairs, a budget official said.
Follow the issues:
Pittsburgh's broken-down vehicle fleetCity Council
Council approves license plate reading software as questions mount over surveillance policy and data sharing.
Pittsburgh police use license plate software that can track a car's travel history and routes. On March 18, a council member flagged an invoice for it, calling its data-sharing policy possibly too vague. That policy lets the city share data with outside agencies, which the administration told her excludes the federal government. Still, council approved paying the invoice.
Follow the issues:
Police surveillance tech under reviewWho's watching city contractsCounty Council
Council votes to block immigration enforcement cooperation without a warrant after council president's son receives death threat.
On March 10, Allegheny County Council voted to bar county officials from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. It passed 11 to 3. The council president, whose son received a death threat that morning, said he abstained so threats couldn't be seen as a factor. From there, the ordinance went to the county executive for her signature.
Follow the issues:
Allegheny County's limits on ICECounty Council
Council calls on state to invest $80 million in violence prevention after county homicides drop nearly 60%.
Allegheny County shares homicide numbers with the public, but it doesn't publish data on non-fatal shootings. Its dashboard shows homicides fell almost 60% from 2024 to 2025. Council has now passed a resolution urging the state to put at least $80 million into violence prevention. It credits the state's program in part for fewer shootings and homicides.
Follow the issues:
Stopping violence before it startsCity Council
City renews energy contract to keep costs below national average.
Half of the city's electricity comes from renewable sources, and it costs less than the national average, officials said. Now council has advanced a six-year contract with Enel X, which advises the city on when to buy energy. The request says it comes at no added cost to the city. The current contract runs out March 31.
Follow the issues:
Buying the city's energyCity Council
City may create one vendor fee with an add on for prime spots ahead of NFL Draft.
Street vendors and peddlers may soon pay one $135 city license fee, plus extra to get the same spot every day. The new schedule combines fees from three city departments. The finance director said it's revenue neutral and will make permits easier to get before the NFL Draft. Council has given preliminary approval and is scheduled to vote next week.
Follow the issues:
Bringing back sidewalk vendorsThe NFL Draft comes to PittsburghCity Council
Security and space agreements approved as city prepares for NFL Draft.
Some North Shore light poles are coming down to make room for NFL Draft crowds, the city's technology director said. One holds a crowd monitoring camera that the city wants atop a garage by the stadium during the event. On March 11, council gave preliminary approval to that and two no-cost space deals, including a warehouse for police training.
Follow the issues:
The NFL Draft comes to PittsburghSchool Board
Board denies Montessori charter application amid broader magnet program debate.
A district facilities plan proposed eliminating most of Pittsburgh's K-5 magnet programs. One board member said Pittsburgh Montessori should go too if the plan passes, for fairness. Then, on Feb. 25, the board unanimously denied a charter bid from Three Rivers Wildflower Montessori. About 20 parents, students, and teachers had defended Montessori at a hearing two days earlier.
Follow the issues:
PPS school closuresSchool Board
School board directors to make closure decisions before summer.
On Feb. 17, the school board agreed to decide before summer whether to close nine school buildings. The board rejected the closure plan in November, then voted in January to reconsider it. Directors asked for more information on staffing and on the buildings if they close. Then, at a Feb. 23 hearing, parents opposed the closures, and one said many questions remain unanswered.
Follow the issues:
PPS school closuresCity Council
Homewood's Operation Better Block in line for $300,000 anti-violence contract renewal.
Group violence intervention tries to curb gun violence by focusing on the people most at risk. Now the city's public safety director wants council to approve a three-year, $300,000 deal with Homewood's Operation Better Block. The group provides technology for the program, like tracking outreach work and potential hot spots. Council is set to take it up March 11.
Follow the issues:
Stopping violence before it startsCity Council
$1 million transfer approved for two new ambulances as fleet needs mount.
On March 4, council gave preliminary approval to use $1 million in grant money for two new ambulances. A council member also asked about two out-of-service fire vehicles. The city's senior fleet manager said the city should push hard to buy fire vehicles. But he said new ones must be modified for narrow streets and hills, so they can take years to arrive.
Follow the issues:
Pittsburgh's broken-down vehicle fleetCity Council
State grant would fund new traffic signal at dangerous Oakland intersection.
Fifth Avenue and Dithridge Street in Oakland saw 10 crashes, including one death, from 2020 to 2025. The city's transportation department now wants council to accept an $806,000 state grant to replace the traffic light there. The intersection sits in front of a student-heavy apartment complex, and five transit routes pass through. Council is set to discuss it March 11.
Follow the issues:
Vision Zero and safer streetsCounty Council
Committee moves forward with legislation to limit county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Residents have told Allegheny County Council that county officers have been turning immigrants over to ICE. On March 2, the public safety committee voted to advance a bill limiting county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Three members opposed it, and one warned the county could lose federal funding. Next, the full council could vote as early as March 10.
Follow the issues:
Allegheny County's limits on ICECounty Council
Public comment time cut in half as immigration debate draws crowds.
Seventy people signed up to speak at Allegheny County Council's Feb. 24 meeting. As it began, nine of 15 members voted to cut each speaker's time from three minutes to 90 seconds. Comments were overwhelmingly against county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. So far, council hasn't said whether it'll do the same on March 10.