Pittsburgh Police Bureau Sending Officers To Washington DC For Inauguration Day
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- When President-elect Donald Trump gets sworn into office this month, representatives of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police will be on hand in Washington DC to help provide security for the inaugural events.
Most likely they'll be helping out at the inaugural parade.
According to City Council, the expense will not be passed onto the city.
"There is no cost to Pittsburgh tax payers at all," said Pittsburgh City Councilman Dan Gilman. "They will actually be deputized as federal marshals, and the federal government will cover all costs."
That includes transportation, hotel accommodations, and even additional insurance required for working such a large scale event.
"You always go through who is liable? If something happens down there, is the City of Pittsburgh responsible? We're not. Are we paying any of the bill, we are not," Councilman Corey O'Connor said.
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Gillman weighed in on the concerns, too.
"It's concerning to send officers to another city, under someone else's command, into a situation that at least has the potential to be a hotbed of confrontation," said Gilman.
Pittsburgh City Council says the move represents an opportunity for the city to contribute to a large event, and one day, we might find ourselves - like when the G20 Summit came to town - in need of having the favor returned.
O'Connor says it is like an investment.
"As you know, there has been talk about us hosting bigger events, hosting a convention, or a possible Super Bowl. We're going to need other partners in other cities to help us as well," O'Connor said.
