Allegheny County, Pittsburgh officials monitor D.C. unrest

Allegheny County and Pittsburgh law enforcement are on alert in the event the unrest in Washington, D.C. becomes an issue locally, officials said late Wednesday afternoon.

“I can tell you that, locally, we have no reports of anything,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said prior to the start of the county’s weekly covid-19 briefing. “Our law enforcement are monitoring situations here in Allegheny County and in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Thus far we’ve had no reports yet of that, and we want to keep it that way.”

Fitzgerald denounced the violence in which Trump supporters falsely believing the presidential election was “stolen” stormed the Capitol Building.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day there would be an attempted coup against our government by seditionists, anarchists, who want to go into our nation’s Capitol and do violence and do damage to our free society,” he said.

He called on Pennsylvania politicians who have supported the president to join in denouncing the violence.

“We’re hoping that police will be able to restore order – that the anarchists will disperse and hopefully return home and we go on with life as normal,” he said.

Cara Cruz, a spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Police, said the bureau is monitoring the situation.

“Police are watching the situation closely, monitoring all intelligence and working with all of our law enforcement partners in the event that any of the unrest spreads to this jurisdiction,” she said in a statement. “Should that come to pass, Public Safety will monitor and update the public as necessary via social media.”

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald addresses the situation in DC prior to the county’s weekly covid-19 briefing. (Apologies for the quality.) pic.twitter.com/e2aoZj4ggH

— Megan Guza (@meganguzaTrib) January 6, 2021