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timesuck t1_jahuhq4 wrote

> Former Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto initially proposed relocating police and emergency services headquarters, the police training academy, animal control, and the city’s vehicle repair shop to the Lincoln-Lemington site. Current Mayor Ed Gainey’s spokesperson Maria Montaño tells City Paper the scope of the project has since narrowed to focus on police training facilities, and that, despite the reduction in scope, the estimated cost of the project remains over $120 million.

When this project was first proposed, it was going to cost $90 million dollars and Dan Gilman said part of the money would come back to the city by getting rid of expensive leases held by the city to store large vehicles and house other departments.

So now, let me get this right. . .the project has increased its cost by $30 million AND now won’t be a facility for other departments as originally promised? We’re building a $120 million Nemacolin for cops when the city can’t fix our bridges or fill potholes?

Fuck all of this shit. This kind of nonsense is why our taxes are so high and we get nothing in return. If the other city services don’t need to be consolidated and can be jettisoned from this plan, then the police don’t need a shining murder mansion on the hill just for them.

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Jazzlike_Leading5446 t1_jahxwug wrote

There are some cities where the cops get 40 or 45 percent of the total budget and people seems to be ok with that.

Cops are super citizens and they can get away with virtually anything, so they will be pushing further and further.

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69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jai2evu wrote

I've seen people in this sub refer to "active duty cops" like they're soldiers and not just regular people with a job like the rest of us.

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Basic-Lawfulness6974 t1_jaisqo5 wrote

Just like the cops, the refer to their shift as a tour. No bitch, a tour is what a soldier does, and hostile territory, where there’s a legitimate chance they are going to get shot. The culture and the mentality is absolutely off when it comes to policing in the US. Absolute garbage, ask any combat veteran.

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just_an_ordinary_guy t1_jal094x wrote

Yeah, no, this is common among shift workers. Typically a tour is a batch of shifts, like if you rotate 1st, 2nd, 3rd, each week of a different shift is a tour, or sometimes the full rotation through all three shifts is a tour and then it repeats. It's not strictly defined and people use it in different ways. Though I'm sure the coppers do love the idea of larping as soldiers and pretending they go on deployment.

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apitbullnamedzeus t1_jajeazp wrote

>here there’s a legitimate chance they are going to get shot.

Not the best time to make this point, since five cops have been shot in Allegheny County in two months.

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Basic-Lawfulness6974 t1_jajmkz2 wrote

How many people are shot by cops? Statistically Its more dangerous to deliver pizza. Fuck off.

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anonymouspoliticker t1_jajz5wz wrote

In the county so far this year, I can count at least two. How many do you know of?

Both of them were actively shooting at cops.

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NewUse2430 t1_jamct68 wrote

Man you really must be one bad ass MFer! Probably as hard as you are charming. Your hero must be that idiot kid that lit the Cop car on fire in front of Mario’s statue. Anyway, check with Mommy I think your breakfast might be ready.

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AirtimeAficionado t1_jalfnvc wrote

That cost increase is actually pretty standard for any buildings planned prepandemic to now— new construction is running around 30% more expensive for any big projects. Agree it shouldn’t be spent on this either way, though.

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delco_trash t1_jakor5d wrote

The crime is absolutely getting out of hand in the city.

But you know what, stuff like this is why I voted for Gainey

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Excelius t1_jahxks6 wrote

Cost overruns have always been the reality for big government projects.

Plus we can't ignore the unfortunate reality that costs for everything have ballooned between when the project was initially planned, and now. The city isn't immune to the inflationary conditions we've all been dealing with.

> Nemacolin for cops

Is there any indication that the proposed Pittsburgh project is needlessly "luxurious" or are activists just lazily parroting the talking points from a controversy in another city?

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timesuck t1_jai3bth wrote

It’s a state of the art, top of the line facility they have no pressing need for, so I’d say the comparison to a resort is pretty apt.

I love that you bring up cost overruns and inflation, when my entire comment was about how this facility is not needed. We can easily avoid the inflation on this project by not building it. Would much rather deal with ballooning costs on projects that will actually positively impact the residents of this city directly.

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Excelius t1_jaic0rf wrote

Your conclusion that it's unnecessary and fills no pressing need is based on... what analysis exactly?

The city does claim that it would save millions of dollars by centralizing existing facilities, and in theory those freed up properties could be sold off and returned to tax roles. How many of those facilities are at the end of their life and need major renovations regardless?

The shooting range is supposed to be indoors, which would replace the outdoor police firing range in Highland Park which I know has been the source of occasional complaints about the sound of gunshots in this very sub in the past.

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timesuck t1_jaii54m wrote

And your opinion that we do need this facility is based on. . .what analysis exactly? The cops saying we need it?

The vast majority of the savings the city claimed they were getting when this project was first proposed were from consolidating all public safety services and the public works facility in The Strip. Those savings are now gone, because those departments are no longer included in the plan.

There are existing plans to enclose the shooting range that don’t involve spending $120 mil on a whole new facility. The cops have also been offered the use of the North Park shooting range owned by the count, but they refuse to use it. So if this were really about solving that problem, we could have done it years ago.

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Excelius t1_jaikcw3 wrote

> And your opinion that we do need this facility is based on. . .what analysis exactly?

I've never actually said it was needed. I wanted to know your reasoning for concluding it was wasteful and unnecessary.

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timesuck t1_jaioobb wrote

lmao ok, so this is a “I’m just asking questions” situation. Forget it.

I just saw your flare. Maybe you’ve missed most of the news about this over the years because you don’t live in the city?

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Zenith2017 t1_jaj53jn wrote

He's obsessed because he's a gun nut so loves cops

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Excelius t1_jaiqs31 wrote

What exactly do you think I've missed?

I already know the answer to my question, but I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt and give you a chance to explain your reasoning.

The answer is that any sort of reasoned analysis doesn't exist. It's kneejerk bandwagon activism based on little more than "cops are bad" and the vague similarity to the controversial project in Atlanta. The City Paper article spends more time on the situation in Atlanta than it does reporting anything meaningful about the Pittsburgh project.

I have no idea if the proposal in it's original or current state was a good use of taxpayer resources, and I'm virtually certain neither do you.

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timesuck t1_jaivn8l wrote

Explain my reasoning to someone who is ignoring most of what I’m saying and has basically admitted in this last comment they’re debating in bad faith?

Oh boy what a fantastic opportunity how could I pass that up

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Lil_Phantoms_Lawyer t1_jai53rg wrote

>It’s a state of the art, top of the line facility they have no pressing need for, so I’d say the comparison to a resort is pretty apt.

Nemacolin, the famous state of the art, top of the line training facility.

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timesuck t1_jai6xqb wrote

Oh, hello again. You know this thread doesn’t have anything to do with John Fetterman right?

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69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_jaicbdj wrote

> Cost overruns have always been the reality for big government projects.

 
Fixed that for you

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TrippTiggers t1_jaj072m wrote

Go apply to be a cop and be the one that shows the path for change.

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timesuck t1_jaj2ds0 wrote

Ohhhhh ok. Great idea. I’ll get right on that.

LAPD officer killed during training exercise by cops he was investigating for sexual assault: attorney

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TrippTiggers t1_jajjpyy wrote

So a correctional officer was killed in a weapons training. And they kill people all the time too. I think you anger is misplaced.

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anonymouspoliticker t1_jak09mr wrote

Well, I think the implication would be for you to apply to work for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, not some department 3000 miles away. Unless you're planning to move to LA? Or is there an example here locally?

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timesuck t1_jaklz4h wrote

Whistleblower Pittsburgh cop resigns without explanation

“For trying to protect the public from wrongdoing as she has done throughout her 28-year distinguished career as a decorated City of Pittsburgh police officer, Catherine McNeilly has been retaliated against, publicly punished, humiliated and demoted from the City’s senior police Commander to the rank of lieutenant,” said Timothy P. O’Brien, an ACLU cooperating attorney and lead counsel in the case.

Pittsburgh police officer said rape allegations she made were pushed aside

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anonymouspoliticker t1_jakpv6h wrote

See, you should've just started with this instead of pulling something from the other side of the country. Now your point has credibility!

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just_an_ordinary_guy t1_jal0epp wrote

Shut the fuck up, we all know that the corruption is in pretty much every single department, and especially every single big city department. Don't be so obtuse.

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anonymouspoliticker t1_jao0mwx wrote

That's not very nice, neighbor. Local governments set up and are responsible for the actions of their own police departments, and there's tens of thousands of them. How can you assume there are problems in one because there are problems in another? What other bureaucratic or corporate structure or occupation is held to that standard?

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just_an_ordinary_guy t1_jao87nr wrote

Yeah, I know it's not very nice. That was the point. We're assuming the same problems in one based on another because it's pretty well documented that it is a systemic issue. Every single time they go looking in any police department in the nation, these problems are found. Every single time, to varying degrees.

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burritoace t1_jaqruix wrote

Are you kidding? Basically every public institution is treated this way. Fuck off with this bullshit.

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anonymouspoliticker t1_jbiapt6 wrote

If DC city council decriminalizes all violence, is the city-council form of governance systemically corrupt?

If a public university in Florida abolishes their office of diversity, equity, and inclusion, do you think less of the University of Pittsburgh?

Or public transit. Or state government, mostly. Or healthcare- I think Pittsburghers have good experience with identifying problems with UPMC and not baselessly projecting them on, say, AHN.

The only public institution held to this standard I can think of is the judiciary, and they are closely intertwined with police anyway.

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Zenith2017 t1_jaj5qxt wrote

How come all the past well-intended police haven't changed anything, if that's all it takes? Surely you wouldn't say that this guy would be the very first person to join the police force with positive intent to create change from within. How come it hasn't worked?

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TrippTiggers t1_jan357k wrote

Change takes time. Interesting though all this comes up with only one party in charge for the last 100 years. Also corruption plays a part too, however much like the number of key board warriors on this platform, you’re talking about something neither you or I have worked in. So our opinions don’t really matter.

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Zenith2017 t1_jan4i35 wrote

Well, since cops' evil and tyrannical actions very much affect us as citizens, I do feel our opinions matter. What do we do otherwise, roll over and let it happen?

The whole thing is corrupt from tip to toe. Don't forget that cops originated as slave catchers, and their role as protectors of the owner class continues to this day. You can't build on a rickety foundation, the whole thing's gotta go and start over.

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TrippTiggers t1_janf4k3 wrote

I’d be curious to read your solution. Who would you call if someone breaks into your house? Or someone attacks you or your family…pick your reason to call the police.

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Zenith2017 t1_janoq9i wrote

Well, it's not like the police are going to be much help if that does happen. They don't prevent crime, and they only solve around 11% of what they investigate. Seems like not a good solution to me

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TrippTiggers t1_jaoyio6 wrote

Ok so what’s the alternative sending in a case worker? I mean look let’s be realistic who’s the solution?

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TrippTiggers t1_jaxeicm wrote

So you got a solution or just keeping status quo?

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Zenith2017 t1_jaxs8az wrote

My solution to if someone breaks in my house? I'd make my presence known without aggressing, which deters most. If they insist on looting my house, then I'm going to prioritize personal safety over property

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TrippTiggers t1_jb04ce7 wrote

So you’re going to do nothing and allow crime to run ram-pit, got it.

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Zenith2017 t1_jb0j1ar wrote

What else would I do? Attack them to risk injury or death over... What, my TV? A laptop? That's so painfully stupid

ram-pit

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