Photo by Justin Criado

Mayor Bill Peduto (right) speaks as Police Chief Cameron McLay stands-by during a press conference on public safety Sept. 16 at the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in Manchester.

By Justin Criado

Mayor Bill Peduto spent a day on the Northside Sept. 16 making the rounds between Allegheny Center’s Senior Center, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in Manchester and PNC Park.

Peduto’s trip to the senior center was part of Senior Recognition Day, which he has participated in before, visiting to other centers around the city.

A press conference concerning public safety was held at the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police along with Police Chief Cameron McLay and Major Crimes Cmdr. Larry Scirotto.

The half-hour session covered crime statistics regarding the city, including the fact that non-violent shootings have increased, while homicides have decreased, according to Scirotto.

Peduto and McLay both said that there our plans to add more police officers across the city’s six zones. As of now there are 843 officers, and while Peduto would like to increase those numbers to 900, the class sizes cannot typically exceed 40 recruits, according to McLay.

The bureau is also uploading new statistics to an updated website. The new stats should be ready within the next couple months, according to McLay. Currently, there are interactive reports on the official website.

Peduto concluded his day on the Northside at PNC Park where he declared Sept. 16, 2015 “Roberto Clemente Day” in front of statue of the formers Pirates great before the Pirates took on the Chicago Cubs.