Pitt Police
As the department with primary responsibility for security on campus, the University of Pittsburgh Police (Pitt Police) are dedicated to serving the needs of the University community. For emergencies, call 4-2121 from a campus phone or 412-624-2121 from a non-campus phone. For general assistance, call 412-624-4040.
University of Pittsburgh Police Training Requirements
• Commonwealth Required:
- All officers must have completed the 919-hour Act 120 Municipal Police Academy that consists of more than 47 hours in human relations, and related cultural, bias and unique population issues;
- 12 hours per year mandatory in-service training includes changes in law and procedural justice;
- Annual training on harm reduction, de-escalation, and use-of-force;
- Biennial training on anti-bias, cultural awareness, and procedural justice;
• University Required:
- Workplace Discrimination and Harassment Prevention for Higher Education;
- Preventing Discrimination and Sexual Violence: Title IX, VAWA and the Clery Act for Faculty and Staff;
• Pitt Police Required:
- 80 hours orientation training including 32 hours of contextualized use of force training;
- 14-week new officer field training program supervised by a certified field training officer;
- Cultural Awareness: Anti-Bias Training for Law Enforcement, Hate Crimes Training, LGBTI Issues, Racial Profiling, and Cultural Awareness 1 and 2 (both include implicit bias information);
- 9 additional hours covering the topics of Implicit Bias, Civil Rights, Procedural Justice, and Community Policing;
- New officers must have a 4-year undergraduate degree (about 1.5% of departments in the country require a 4-year degree);
- Crisis Intervention Training certification to rapidly and adequately address evolving mental health issues and get people mental health services they may need;
- Firearms Training Simulator (Don’t Shoot/Shoot decision making- virtual reality scenario-based training with supervisory feedback);
- Firearms training for marksmanship, safety, scenario drills under stress;
- For training officers, Campus Safety Cultural Competency orientation presented by Margolis Healy at the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges.
- Other Pitt Police training includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), First Aid, Narcan for opioid overdoses, Active Killer response, Lethality Assessment Training for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault response for initial responders, Clery Act, terrorism and improvised explosive device (IED) recognition; and
- The University of Pittsburgh Police Department has been accepted into the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project, Georgetown University Law Center’s national training and support initiative for U.S. law enforcement agencies committed to building a culture of peer intervention that prevents harm. Backed by prominent civil rights and law enforcement leaders, the evidence-based, field-tested ABLE Project was developed by Georgetown Law’s Innovative Policing Program in collaboration with global law firm Sheppard Mullin LLP to provide practical active bystandership strategies and tactics to law enforcement officers to prevent misconduct, reduce mistakes, and promote health and wellness.
More information about ABLE Training »
University Police Authority
University of Pittsburgh Police law enforcement authority is derived from Act 57 of the 1997 Campus Police Powers and Duties and by Title 42 Pa. C.S.A. Chapter 89, relating to the Municipal Police Jurisdiction Act. Pitt Police carry firearms and have the authority to apprehend and arrest anyone involved in illegal acts on campus and within 500 yards of any University-owned or leased facility. Other law enforcement agencies will work in cooperation with Pitt Police if making any arrests on University property. If a University student commits the offense, the Pitt Police also may refer the individual to the Office of Student Conduct. University and contracted guards are not armed and do not have any arrest authority.
Working Relationship with Local and State Police Agencies
Pitt Police work closely with the City of Pittsburgh Police officers and have direct radio communication with city police, fire, and emergency medical personnel. A memorandum of understanding with the City of Pittsburgh Police enhances the safety of the campus community and furthers the investigation of alleged criminal offenses. While the Pitt Police have an excellent working relationship with other nearby educational institutions and the Pennsylvania State Police, there are no written memoranda of understanding with these agencies at this time.
Crimes Involving Off-campus Student Organizations
Pitt Police monitor criminal activity occurring at off-campus locations of student organizations officially recognized by the institution via radio communications and/or personal contact with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
Environmental Health and Safety
The Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) provides guidance and direction to students, faculty, and staff at the University. EH&S identifies hazards and risks, recommends appropriate action to help to ensure safe conditions, and assists the University in maintaining regulatory compliance.
Facilities Management
The Office of Facilities Management has installed and maintains exterior lighting around all its buildings, as well as additional sidewalk and street lighting. Ground crews keep shrubs and hedges low for safety reasons, especially in places such as bus stops. On any normal workday, there are scores of Pitt support personnel whose jobs include providing inspection of the entire campus and its buildings to discover and correct health, safety, and maintenance problems. They report any safety-related problems to facilities management, whose staff members respond to correct these problems promptly.
Allied Universal Security and 3G Security
Allied Universal Security is the University’s contracted security provider who provides welcome attendants for residence halls and in some apartment buildings. 3G Security provides the guards in the parking garages and crosswalks.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
UPMC hospitals have their own police departments. When Pitt students and staff work within these settings, they are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the security policies and procedures of these facilities.
Criminal incidents occurring within these facilities under the required reporting geography of the University of Pittsburgh are reported to the Pitt Police and are included within Pitt’s statistical report. For more information about safety and security at UPMC, contact UPMC Presbyterian (412-647-3191), UPMC Montefiore (412-648-2555) or Forbes Tower (412-647-3191).
Radiation Safety Office
The University of Pittsburgh Radiation Safety Office is responsible for ensuring that all sources of licensed radioactive material and ionizing radiation-producing equipment, which fall under its responsibility, are used optimally and safely. The office also ensures that these sources of ionizing radiation are used in compliance with applicable federal and state regulations and with institutional licenses. The Pitt Radiation Safety Program covers all the Pittsburgh and regional campuses in addition to UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC Shadyside, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. For more information, please visit radsafe.pitt.edu.
Integrated Security Department
The Integrated Security Department (ISD) is responsible for all physical security components on the Pittsburgh campus. It maintains a sophisticated infrastructure that ensures that proper safety and security applications are provided to the entire University community. ISD has installed more than 4,000 access points and more than 1,000 closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras on the Pittsburgh campus. All of the ISD-installed equipment also is analyzed and serviced by the department. The Pitt Police Department, as well as ISD, monitors the operations of CCTV and access control points. For more information, visit isd.pitt.edu.
Threat Assessment and Management Team
The Threat Assessment and Management (TAM) team is a multidisciplinary group that meets and operates on a regular basis and as needed in crisis situations. Using principles of threat management, the team is available to receive, review, discuss, and evaluate threats or acts of violent harm to members of the Pitt community; adopt and implement strategies to reduce the risk of harm to the University community; and monitor and re-evaluate threats and mitigation strategies. For more information on TAM, please visit emergency.pitt.edu/resources/threat-mgmt.
Care and Resource Support Team
From time to time, we find that some of our Pitt students need additional support as they work toward academic and personal success as members of our Pitt community. Students who may need this additional support can be referred to our Care and Resource Support (CARS) Team at 412-624-5756 or Pittcares@pitt.edu. The CARS Team provides a proactive, coordinated and planned approach to assess circumstances, enhance communication and initiate appropriate responses to specific behavioral, medical or social student concerns. The CARS Team coordinates University support and services to assist these students, whether their ability to succeed academically or to function within expected standards as a member of the Pitt community are impacted by challenges the student faces of a medical or social nature, or are impacted by poor choices, conduct or decisions made by the student. For more information about the CARS team, please visit studentaffairs.pitt.edu/cars.
HEART Program
The Division of Student Affairs has implemented the Pittsburgh Higher Education Assessment and Response Team (HEART) which provides an immediate response, initially with Pitt Police, to welfare checks initiated by members of our university communities to support students in distress. To initiate a Welfare Check, 24/7, please contact Pitt Police at 412-624-2121.