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Pittsburgh City Council

$40,000 for person-to-person police recruitment.

Written by Amy Whipple

  • Advanced Recruiting Bootcamp takes a sales strategy and includes six overarching subjects. Among them, emotional intelligence, strategic lead generation and negotiation and persuasion skills.
  • Director of Public Safety Schmidt reported that the Bureau of Police now has two full-time recruitment officers.
  • Chief of Staff Palermo said they have been averaging around 100 applications per month. He attributes this increase to the recruiters.
  • Recruitment techniques include approaching people at coffee shops and gyms rather than just participating in career fairs.
  • Applicants must pass the civil service exam as well as a physical fitness exam before beginning classes. Director Schmidt said approximately half the people who take the fitness exam fail.
  • Academy classes are capped at 40 participants. They offer three classes per year.
  • There has not been a full class of 40 since prior to the pandemic.
  • 120 new officers per year will outpace the number of officers who retire or otherwise leave.
  • The $40,000 request will be met with previously received grant funds, of which another $38,172 has already been used toward recruitment training.

Connections to this story

Topics:
Public Safety & EMS
Governments:
Pittsburgh City Council
Public meetings:
City Council · July 8, 2025
Sources:
Resolution 2025-1986 — amending Resolution 715 of 2024, which authorized the Mayor and the Director of Public Safety to enter on behalf of the…

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