Specialty Units

Upon request bicycle patrol officers are available to assist local municipalities. Duties may include crowd control, community and bicycle safety events, parades, traffic control and patrol duties.

Request for Services

All requests should be made to the Superintendent of Police for approval.

The duties of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit includes the safe rendering of various types of explosive devices, including military ordnance, and conducting post-blast investigations for possible criminal prosecution. The EOD Team responds only to the finding of suspected or known explosives. They do not respond to bomb threats. Once dispatched, the EOD Team is able to identify, remove, disarm, explode, collect as evidence, or transport explosive devices as well as conduct post blast investigations.

Bomb Squad

The Allegheny County Police Department (ACPD) Bomb Squad was founded in 1975 to serve the County of Allegheny through the mitigation of all explosive hazards. In 2022, the ACPD Bomb Squad consists of up to 10 Hazardous Device School certified bomb technicians that serve not only Allegheny County, but also 13 surrounding counties in conjunction with Region 13 response.

The ACPD Bomb Squad is tasked with the identification, render-safe, and disposal of all commercial and military explosives, military ordnance, improvised explosive devices, radiological/chemical/biological dispersal devices and, in some cases, improvised nuclear weapons. In addition, ACPD Bomb Squad Technicians are certified to provide explosive breaching capabilities to tactical teams throughout our area of operations. The ACPD Bomb Squad is outfitted with state of the art robotic, diagnostic, and interrogation equipment, making it possible to conduct our mission as safely and effectively as possible. 

SCUBA Dive Team

A sub-unit of the Bomb Squad, the ACPD SCUBA Dive Team is a Region 13 asset and responsible for responding to law enforcement matters within the rivers, lakes, and reservoirs within our area of responsibility. The Dive Team performs underwater evidence recovery, critical asset searches, drowning victim recovery, underwater explosive hazard mitigation, and underwater crime scene processing. The Dive Team has members that are certified in a multitude of highly-specialized skills such as ice diving, black water search, and underwater explosive demolition.

Request for Services

Requests for the EOD Team are made by law enforcement agencies through County Police Command Staff. EOD Team requests for community-oriented events or presentations should be made to the Superintendent of Police.

The Allegheny County Police Department’s K9 Unit is based at and provides the majority of their services at Pittsburgh International Airport. The department employs five Explosive Ordnance Detection (EOD) K9 teams and one Narcotics Detection team. While they spend most of their time working at Pittsburgh International Airport, they are available to federal, state, and local police departments upon request.

Explosive Ordnance Detection K9 Unit

The EOD K9s are utilized only after a physical search of the premises or area has been conducted and a package or unidentified object of a suspicious nature has been located. The EOD K9 will then be dispatched to the scene and the suspicious package or object will be checked by the K9 for specific odors.

Narcotics Detection K9

The Allegheny County Police Narcotics K9 is available to other law enforcement agencies upon request. It is capable of conducting limited searches of areas, homes and vehicles.

Meet the K9s

Request for Services

Requests for the EOD K9 unit are made by law enforcement agencies through Allegheny County Police Command Staff. Requests for an EOD K9 for community-oriented events or presentations should be made to the Superintendent of Police. 

To request the Narcotic Detection K-9 Unit call 412-473-3000 for non-emergencies.

The Allegheny County Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Unit was established in 1932 by a group of officers who served with the US Calvary in World War One. Back then, the unit consisted of 48 mounts, having more horses than human officers countywide! Today, there are a total of 9 mounts who serve in parades, festivals, and are used for educational purposes.

For information on how to donate or sponsor the purchase of a horse for the Mounted Unit, please call 412-472-5811.

You can receive naming rights to the horse and honorable mention on the Allegheny County Police Department’s website for you and/or your company.

Meet the Horses

Request for Services

The Mounted Unit consists of officers on horseback who patrol as needed throughout Allegheny County. Duties may include crowd control, community events, parades, and patrol duties. Requests for the Mounted Unit for community-oriented events or presentations should be made to the Superintendent of Police.

In 1987, the Allegheny County Police Department created the Police Anti-Sniper Squad, or “PASS” Team. Some years later, the PASS Team took on the Special Weapons and Tactics, or “SWAT” moniker.

The ACPD SWAT Team is a highly trained tactical unit that consists of patrol and investigative officers and supervisors who assist various Federal, State, and Local agencies in the resolution of high-risk situations. Examples of these situations include hostage situations, barricaded armed individuals, executive protection details, and high-risk warrant services.

The ACPD SWAT Team is provided advanced training and outfitted with state-of-the-art lethal and less-lethal weapons, vehicles, and technology, making it possible to resolve incidents in a safe and organized manner.

Request for Services

Requests for the SWAT Team are made by law enforcement agencies through Allegheny County Communications and are approved by a member of the Allegheny County Police Command Staff or on-call Duty Officer. Non-emergency SWAT Team requests for community-oriented events or presentations should be made to the Superintendent of Police.