PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that Pittsburgh police officers may live outside city limits.
The state’s highest court ruled unanimously Monday in favor of the police union, which argued that the option of living outside the city would give officers greater choice in schools and housing.
Officers had been required to live in the city since 1902. City voters made the mandate a permanent part of Pittsburgh’s home rule charter several years ago.
Union President Robert Swartzwelder called Monday’s decision a “great victory” for police.
Mayor Bill Peduto said in a statement that residents “expressed overwhelming support for the residency requirement, and we want our police officers to continue to live in the neighborhoods and communities that they serve.”