Officials in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are considering dissolving the police department in response to the spotlight placed on it in June, when one of its officers shot and killed 17-year-old Antwon Rose, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA 2 reported that the East Pittsburgh Borough Council held a meeting during the evening of Tuesday, August 21, where they discussed plans to get rid of the police department. According to KDKA 2, completely getting rid of the city’s police department was an agenda item for the short session.
“It’s a possibility,” Dennis Simon, the president of East Pittsburgh Borough Council, said of the idea. “We don’t have any definite answers yet. It’s financial, it’s safety, it’s how many patrols, how many calls, things like that. We’ve been thinking about this for years, actually. It’s something that’s been in progress for a long time.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, Erica Yesko, a community activist and resident of East Pittsburgh told the council, “We don’t want any more children being killed by police officers. We want you to listen to us.” To which Simon responded, “I agree. I think we listen more than you think, but we’re going to listen even more now.”
The Tribune-Review reported, that as of now, Allegheny County police or the police department of a neighboring municipality are being considered as options to take over police services for East Pittsburgh.
📸: Ross Mantle