Board won't probe alleged election night imbibing by Pittsburgh officers

The Citizens Police Review Board will not dig any further into allegations several Pittsburgh Police officers imbibed while on duty on election night last year, the board has decided.

The Nov. 3 incident involved a group of 17 officers who were working an extended shift the night of the election, CPRB Executive Director Beth Pittinger told the board Tuesday. All officers were on 12-hour shifts Nov. 2 through Nov. 8 in case of any unrest surrounding the election.

The night turned out to be a relatively quiet one, and the officers were told they could go home, Pittinger said. Instead, they allegedly went to an unnamed South Side bar and drank while still on the clock.

Public Safety Department spokeswoman Cara Cruz said administrators were made aware of the allegations “and took immediate action to ensure the safety of all officers and the public.

“While the matter remains under review, the appropriate discipline will be issued for all violations of city policy,” she said.

Cruz declined further comment, citing the police union contract prohibiting the discussion of personnel matters.

Pittinger said no one has filed a complaint with the CPRB, and the board decided not to dig any further into the incident unless new information comes to light.

“It seems that the chief is taking some action,” she said. “We don’t know what exactly … but they didn’t let it go by.”

Pittsburgh Police leaders in October detailed the bureau’s new policies regarding on-duty drinking for officers working undercover investigating nuisance bars during a virtual CPRB meeting.

Those changes were made in response to an October 2018 incident at Kopy’s on the South Side. One of the most notable updates detailed at that meeting was a clear rule regarding alcohol consumption by officers who are on duty and investigating nuisance bars or suspected criminality within bars: Officers can consume no more than two drinks in four hours.

The incident at Kopy’s involved a brawl between four plainclothes officers who had apparently been consuming alcohol and a group of bikers at the bar on South 12th Street. The bar’s security cameras captured the melee and the detectives drinking for hours beforehand.

That incident and the changes made in the aftermath should still be fresh in officers’ minds, Pittinger said.

“After all this about drinking while on the job – I mean, come on, guys,” she said. “Grow up.”