Police investigate alleged threat against Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor over police scanner
Law enforcement in Pittsburgh is investigating a threat against Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor that was broadcast over police communication channels.
On Monday afternoon, KDKA began hearing what appeared to be Nazi songs over the police scanner, and then heard a death threat against Mayor O'Connor. Allegheny County 911 says local police broadcast channels were hacked by what appears to be a pro-Nazi group.
Police are investigating what was described as a robotic voice that made the death threat. Police communications were interrupted by the Nazi songs and messages praising Hitler. One of those messages contained a death threat against "the Pittsburgh mayor," multiple government sources say.
The mayor's office says it will not comment on the mayor's safety protocols, and a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety said it is "aware of the issue and we are in contact with the Allegheny County emergency services, which is working to rectify the problem."
The FBI said it is not involved in the investigation.
Impact on public safety
Steve Ignatz, a retired Pennsylvania State Police trooper, said jamming emergency lines is a crime. Ignatz, who works in the security field, said jamming scanners does happen, and there can be serious ramifications for public safety.
"Maybe they are being dispatched to an incident, and that message doesn't get through," he said. "Or there are urgent messages that need to be going back and forth quickly that they are interfering with."
Ignatz said backup plans include the use of cell phones or sending messages over the computer system in the patrol cars.
"With the internet being the way it is, and if it was in fact over the internet that it was hacked, it might be difficult to prosecute somebody for a situation like this," Ignatz said.
