Pittsburgh police take steps to stem homicides
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PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto says police will address an increase in homicides this year by having more officers on foot patrols in areas where drug trafficking is believed to be fueling the killings.
The city has had 44 homicides so far this year, only two shy of last year’s total of 46. The city has averaged about 52 homicides a year for the past decade and set a record in 1993 when 83 killings prompted a federal investigation into drug- and gang-related shootings.
The city has had 13 homicides since July 1 alone.
The city is sending 13 officers who graduated from the police academy last week to patrol Zone 5, the most dangerous area of the city, where 17 people have been killed in its East End neighborhoods.