City To Cut Back On Mayor Ravenstahl's Security

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The KDKA Investigators reported the amount of money city taxpayers have been paying for Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's security detail.

He had three full-time bodyguards and they raked up thousands of dollars in overtime.

Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper called a press conference Wednesday afternoon where he announced that security will be cut back.

"Basically right now, we are into doing an eight-hour security detail on the mayor," Harper said.

He says last year there were three full-time police officers and talk of four for Mayor Ravenstahl.

Harper says the detail will be modeled after Tom Murphy's one-man security detail.

"What Mayor Murphy, for example, his detail basically ran from nine to five or eight to four – very little coverage in the evening – and that's where we're at for 2010," he explained.

The chief says the mayor never makes the call on security and that it's his call. Harper said he would prefer the mayor always be protected.

"In today's society, I'd rather err on the side of safety than to be erring on the side of being sorry," Harper.

KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin reported last week the city spent about $200,000 just in overtime for the security detail in a two-year period.