Police Union President To File Complaint, Claims On-Duty Officers Worked Beyoncé Concert
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Beyoncé brought her "Formation Tour" to Heinz Field Tuesday night.
Fans began gathering on the North Shore hours ahead of the big concert, and the doors to Heinz Field opened around 5:30 p.m.
Thousands of fans filed into Heinz Field to see the singer as she stopped in Pittsburgh on her 40-city tour.
"I am over the moon to be here today, like seriously, lots of anticipation," said fan Akin McIver, of the North Side.
"Just seeing her perform here in Pittsburgh, I had to be here," another fan said.
But some police officers across the country have boycotted Beyoncé's tour over what they considered anti-police imagery in both her Super Bowl performance and in one of her music videos.
Here in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Police chief says a sufficient number of off-duty officers did volunteer to work after there was talk of a shortage earlier.
A small group of officers even protested a Beyoncé concert in Texas recently.
"There's controversy with everything," said McIver. "You get rock concerts, country concerts. There's always something. I think it was a little more inflated than it needed to be."
"I personally don't think it was anything against the police," fan Krista Johnson, of Penn Hills, added.
KDKA found no protests outside Heinz Field Tuesday. Although, the tour was selling their own "Boycott Beyoncé" T-shirts.
Security appeared to be similar to other concerts at the stadium. People were limited as to what they could bring in, and had to use a clear bag. All the NFL Bag Policy rules applied the Beyoncé fans.
And while KDKA cameras weren't allowed inside Heinz Field, judging from the sound of the crowd cheering that could be heard outside, Beyoncé must have put on quite a show.
"She's fun. She's entertaining. She knows how to perform," one fan said.
The president of the police union tells KDKA he plans to file an unfair labor practice complaint with the state Labor Relations Board because he claims some on-duty officers did work at the concert.
However, in a statement sent to KDKA, Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay says: "We have taken great pains to ensure our staffing decisions are within the confines of the Collective Bargaining Agreement."
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
