Under PIRC, the City, County, State and Federal Governments are organized with social services organizations and your community in a new way to use all available laws and resources to stop the killings.

Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime (PIRC) is a homicide deterrence strategy brought to Pittsburgh by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and City Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess. It is intended to reduce gang/group related homicides in the City of Pittsburgh. It is based on the Ceasefire Model developed by Professor David Kennedy of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Implementation and outcomes research is being provided by the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.

PIRC works by organizing law enforcement, social service delivery agencies and broad-based community voices to speak directly to the offending population at call-in sessions.

The message is this:

• Violence is wrong
• Homicides must stop
• We care about you and need you doing good in our community
• There are services available if you need help
• If you cannot control your actions, you and your entire group will be punished
• Take this message back to your gang group members

After the message is delivered, if another homicide occurs, the entire gang or group is removed from the streets and quickly prosecuted. After these actions take place, another call-in session is held.

Any gang group member desiring assistance to transition from street life to an employment based lifestyle can call the PIRC Service Line at 412-255-2374. Pittsburgh Community Services, Inc., is/will be coordinating the delivery of services for PIRC.

Many of the homicides that have occurred in the City of Pittsburgh are never resolved by the arrest and conviction of the killer. As a result, killers are free to kill again and communities remain terrorized. PIRC will periodically be selecting a few unresolved homicides to publicize in an attempt to gather information so that these homicides can be resolved and streets made safer.

• Zone 1 - Chaz Anger
• Zone 3 - Tiona Jackson
• Zone 5 - Charlene Walters

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police initiated a response in Zone 5 to a recent homicide in Garfield. Pittsburgh Police were joined by Allegheny County Adult and Juvenile Probation and Pennsylvania State Parole in these efforts.

Two firearms were recovered and six arrests were the result of this response.

Additional details:

• Press Release - 10/18/12 Homewood
• Press Release - 10/18/12 Garfield

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police initiated a response to a recent homicide in Beltzhoover. Pittsburgh Police were joined by Allegheny County Adult and Juvenile Probation and Pennsylvania State Parole in these efforts.

Four firearms were recovered and several arrests were the result of this response. See the Press Release for additional details.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police initiated a response to a recent homicide on the Northside. Pittsburgh Police were joined by Allegheny County Adult and Juvenile Probation and Pennsylvania State Parole in these efforts.

Several firearms were recovered and several arrests were the result of this response. See the Press Release for additional details.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police initiated several response to recent homicides in the east end and southside. Pittsburgh Police were joined by Allegheny County Adult and Juvenile Probation in these efforts.

Several arrests were the result of this response. See the Press Release for additional details.

On January 30, 2012, the PIRC Coordinator submitted a quarterly report on PIRC's progress to City Council.

Highlights from the report include:

• 20% reduction in homicides from 2010 to 2011
• 16% reduction in gun assaults from 2010 to 2011
• 41 calls to the PIRC Service hotline during 2011
• a PIRC law enforcement response was conducted in the Hill District in November
• a Pastors Briefing was held in December to engage faith based organizations with the PIRC strategy

For further information on PIRC, please contact Jay Gilmer, PIRC Coordinator at 412-255-6774.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police initiated a response to a recent homicide on the northside. Pittsburgh Police were joined by Allegheny County Adult and Juvenile Probation in this effort.

Several arrests were the result of this response. See the Press Release for additional details.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police initiated a response to several recent homicides on the Northside and south neighborhoods. Pittsburgh Police were joined by Allegheny County Adult and Juvenile Probation in this effort.

Several arrests were the result of this response. See the Press Release for additional details.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has released a comprehensive look at the department and crime statistics for 2010. It contains 98 pages of facts and figures. Many of the statistics are broken down by neighborhood. Anyone interested in the facts concerning crime and policing in the City of Pittsburgh should read it carefully.

The report also includes a section summarizing the progress of PIRC during 2010 and a section analyzing the City's 57 homicides during the year.

A link to the Bureau of Police 2010 Annual Report is on the left side of this page.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police initiated a response to a recent homicide in the Hill District. Pittsburgh Police were joined by Allegheny County Adult and Juvenile Probation in this effort.

Several arrests were the result of this response. See the Press Release for additional details.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police initiated a response to a recent homicide in the Hill District. Pittsburgh Police were joined by other law enforcement agencies in this effort.

Several arrests were the result of this response.

News Release

On March 4, 2011, PIRC held its third round of call-in events for adults at the United States Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh.  Approximately 80 offenders were in attendance, together with approximately 100 community members and 35 members of the PIRC’s law enforcement partners.  Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Public Safety Director Mike Huss attended the morning session.

The PIRC message was emphasized by a variety of speakers from law enforcement to community leaders.

Law enforcement speakers were:

• Police Chief Nathan Harper
• Chris Avetta, Esq. and Eric Stadtmiller, Esq. from the Allegheny County District Attorney's office
• Soo Song, Esq. and Tod Eberle, Esq. from the United States Attorney’s Office
• Frank Scherer, Manager Allegheny County Probation

Law enforcement partners in attendance included: Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, United States Marshalls, Allegheny County Police, Pennsylvania State Troopers, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department, Unites States Attorney’s office, Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, Allegheny County Probation, United States Probation, and others.

Service delivery speakers were:

• Khalif Ali, Case Manager with Pittsburgh Community Services, Inc.
• Richard Garland, Executive Director and Jeff Jenkins, Community Coordinator for One Vision One Life

Also in attendance were the team of community coordinators from One Vision One Life and many other service providers.

Community voice speakers were:

• Fred Ross and Albert Dingle, fathers of young men that were killed on the streets
• Rev. Shawn Drummond, Chaplain at the Allegheny County Jail
• Rev. Ricky Burgess

Also in attendance were many interested citizens that were demonstrating their support for the offender population.

One of the three pillars of the PIRC strategy is the availability of effective services for any violent group-involved individuals that are committed to changing their ways. The City of Pittsburgh has contracted with Pittsburgh Community Services, Inc. to provide intake, case management and service referrals for individuals that are in the PIRC target population.

Since July 13, 2010, we are pleased to announce that PIRC has received:

• 27 service calls from the target population
  • 19 of those calls were from people that attended the call-in sessions
• 11 have received workforce development assistance, including resume development
• 10 people received assistant with healthcare, food, holiday presents and other family issues
• 4 people are now employed
• 6 people received GED help
• 4 people received emergency financial assistance
• 4 people have dropped out
• 2 people didn't need any assistance

PIRC is always in need of additional job opportunities for the target population. Any business or nonprofit with such a position can contact the PIRC Coordinator. The Chuck Sanders-PIRC Jobs Fund is available to provide a subsidy towards a person's pay.

PIRC services are accessed by calling the PIRC Service Hotline: 412-592-9472.

In the month following the Call-In, there were shootings in the Northside, Hill District, Larimer, and Oakland, with one homicide occurring in the Upper Hill. On Tues., Nov. 9, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, along with various multi-agency police units, conducted two saturation details. Both details were initiated as part of the PIRC response to homicides and shootings occurring in the Pittsburgh area.

A number of arrests were made that day. The message was made clear: gun and gang violence will not be tolerated. Officers left the PIRC message (a card) with the individuals they encountered on the detail that included contact information for those individuals seeking assistance to better their lives and also provides a message to stop gun violence.

On October 18, 2010, PIRC held its first call-in event for juvenile offenders at the Allegheny County Courthouse. Approximately 34 offenders were in attendance.

The PIRC message was emphasized by a variety of speakers from law enforcement to community leaders including:

• Police Chief Nathan Harper
• Eric Woltshock, Esq. from the Allegheny County District Attorney's office
• Ramon Rustin, Allegheny County Jail Warden
• Fulton Meachem, Housing Authority Director
• Earl Baldwin, Hallelujah Anyhow Barbershop on the Northside
• Rev. Cornell Jones, Chaplain at SCI-Pittsburgh

News Releases

• Press Release 11/9/10 - PBP Multi-Agency Round Up
• Press Release 11/10/10 - PBP Multi-Agency Round Up

PIRC was launched in the summer of 2010. The first call-in session took place Tuesday, July 13, 2010.

Please forward public events that promote public engagement in community safety, violence prevention and/or violence reduction in the City of Pittsburgh to jay.gilmer@pittsburghpa.gov.