Pittsburgh police preparing for possible political violence during and after Election Day
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Political tensions remain high going into election week.
Acting Pittsburgh Police Chief Chris Ragland said there are no current election-related threats, but the bureau continues to monitor the situation and will take steps to ensure everyone is safe on Election Day and the days following.
The road to the White House runs through Pennsylvania, with the Pittsburgh area taking center stage.
"It's an all-hands-on-deck type of moment," Ragland said. "We will not tolerate violence, and we will intervene when we see such."
Heading into Election Day and the rest of the week ahead, Ragland said they're prepared and staffed for whatever comes their way.
"We've created a schedule for the week which provides for maximum coverage of our officers," Ragland said.
Officers will remain on their usual 10-hour shifts but will give up their off days.
"The plan has been created to act like an accordion, and should we need to expand or collapse our police presence throughout the week, we have the flexibility to do so," Ragland said.
The bureau still faces a shortage with only 750 on the force. Ragland said they won't be constrained by staffing. They're also in contact with their regional law enforcement partners who are ready to assist if any potential protests get out of hand or other incidents arise.
"At this time, we don't have any intelligence that we need to be in one area rather than another one. We certainly have a plan in place that allows us to have flexibility and nimbleness to move in certain areas," Ragland said.
As for polling places, city police said they will respond to crimes; otherwise, they are in the jurisdiction of the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office.
A spokesperson for the agency told KDKA-TV that they've assigned 16 deputies to election detail Tuesday that will be split up into four zones encompassing the county, and they'll "respond to polling places as necessary to serve as backup to any local police… responding to any altercations."
They also said if there is a dispute, "the judge of election or their designee will call the department of elections to see if the judge overseeing election issues must get involved." If a "judge does get involved and issues an order, it is then [the sheriff's] responsibility to deliver and execute that court order."
Anyone who experiences issues at a polling place can call 1-877-868-3772.