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. Similar messages were heard over the police radio Tuesday morning as well.
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 Allegheny County Emergency Services, which is working to rectify the problem."
Allegheny County Emergency Services released a follow-up statement on Tuesday morning, providing more information on the incident.
"To be clear, the system was not hacked. The unknown user was able to access the analog radio system and transmit the messages. This situation has happened in the past, and we take these matters seriously," the statement read.
In a second update on Tuesday, the county said the "the individual involved is not using a county or city registered radio."
Allegheny County Emergency Services has requested the assistance of County Police and the Federal Communications Commission, as the investigation remains active and ongoing. The FBI said it is not involved in the investigation.
O'Connor says he's "not concerned"
O'Connor, meanwhile, has continued working as normal, including attending a Purim ceremony Monday night.
"Not concerned," he said on Tuesday. "The concern was obviously my kids and my wife more than myself. But, yeah, one day at a time."
"What do you think was the genesis of all this?" KDKA's Andy Sheehan asked.
"Who knows," O'Connor replied. "I had a synagogue planned I was going to last night. Did somebody know about that? I don't know. But obviously, we see too much hate speech in the world that we live in right now. It just goes to show it happens way too often."
Impact on public safety
Steve Ignatz, a retired Pennsylvania State Police major, said jamming emergency lines is a crime. Ignatz, who now 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."
Regardless, the county, so far, has been unable to stop the transmissions, let alone identify the sender. It is something the mayor wants to see before Pittsburgh hosts the NFL draft next month.
"We have a big event coming up in the next couple of weeks that we want to make sure our radios and communications are working correctly so we can provide safety to everybody who's coming to visit Pittsburgh," O'Connor said. "That's why you're seeing more attention on this case."
