For more than a decade, PublicSource has been publishing salary data for Allegheny County employees. This information helps taxpayers understand where their tax dollars are being spent, how staffing changes are being managed and how much is spent on overtime pay.
This year, when we submitted a Right-to-Know Law request to the county for 2024 salary information, Allegheny County denied our request for names of the majority of law enforcement officers. In the past, names were only redacted for active undercover officers but this year, the county has argued that providing names of almost any officers will put undercover officers at risk. The Office of Open records subsequently upheld the county’s denial.
This decision could change the legal precedent in Pennsylvania that establishes the public’s right to know who is serving in uniform; they are, in fact, public employees. When officers’ identities are kept secret, it’s harder to hold them accountable, spot patterns of public interest or build trust with the taxpayers funding them.
For context, in 2023, the reported pay data for employees whose names were redacted from the county sheriff's office, police department and district attorney's office totaled $10 million. In 2024, the amount tied to redacted names has surged to $46 million — more than four times higher. The result is a significant loss of public visibility into how taxpayer money is being spent.
We have appealed this decision with the support of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Will you help support our efforts to keep public information available to you by making a donation today?
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