The heavily armed shooters of the future might find themselves pinned down by police rifle fire, left to watch helplessly as rescue teams with ballistic shields save downed citizens, all of it coordinated by computer and honed by advanced training, if Pittsburgh City Council has its way.

That's the vision offered in a brief, but extensively documented, report on the improvements needed to avoid another tragedy like the April 4 fatal shootings of three city officers in Stanton Heights. Council now turns its 10 pages of recommendations and 17 appendices over to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's administration, and stands ready to pay for the equipment and training needed.

"These are not pie-in-the-sky matters," said council President Doug Shields. "We have cash. Cash is king. We can buy."

Led by City Councilman Bruce Kraus, council's Special Committee on Police Officer Safety researched law enforcement technology and tactics, and interviewed rank-and-file officers, Police Chief Nate Harper and Public Safety Director Michael Huss. Mr. Kraus said they were cooperative.

But by mid-afternoon, six hours after council's report was released to the press, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's administration hadn't been provided with a copy. Mr. Huss said he didn't need a report to motivate him to seek the best training and equipment for city police.

"There's no responsibility that I take as more important than the protection of [our] own people," Mr. Huss said. "If there was a technology out there that I truly believed in that was the answer to something or a specific need, I would have pushed for it, and I can't say I was ever denied equipment."

The police union swung behind council's wish list.

"The whole package is something that would make this department better and safer," said Fraternal Order of Police President Dan O'Hara.

The big-ticket item in council's report is replacement of the Highland Park police academy, which Mr. Kraus called "woefully inadequate," with what he called "a multiple-municipality training facility." The city could try to tap grants to cover part of the cost.

The administration has already said it will ask the federal government for $1.1 million in stimulus funds to improve its police and fire academies.

"It's a big number, obviously," said Mr. Huss. "We always have a need for additional space, but I don't think it's hindering our ability to deliver training."

Elizabeth Pittinger, executive director of the Citizen Police Review Board, would like to see a training campus with an indoor shooting range, fitness center and library.

"These officers deserve access to the cutting edge, to the extent we can afford it," she said. "We can't operate with 20- or 30-year-old technology."

Though companies now offer police training simulators, Mr. Kraus said city officers want exercises with fake bullets known by the brand name Simunition, rather than big video games.

Some of the specialized training and equipment that the SWAT team gets would become available to regular patrol officers if the council recommendations were enacted. Some special weapons and tactics are already spreading to other parts of the bureau -- though not as quickly as some officers hoped.

For instance, the bureau announced in April that it planned to purchase 46 rifles, and council authorized that in May.

Mr. Huss said the city has bought five rifles, is developing a training curriculum and plans to start instructing officers and deploying an eventual total of 46 rifles by late fall. Each of the six zone stations will start with one rifle, and eventually get six, with 10 at the training academy.

"It's a huge disappointment to me that the rifles aren't out on the street yet," said Officer Bob Swartzwelder, a certified trainer who spoke with council members for the report. "Officers [on April 4] were being overpowered with firepower. If you're that serious about something, you'll make it happen, and that has not occurred."

"It takes time to do it right in order to ensure that the equipment will be used in a proper manner," said Mr. Huss.

He would not say whether the city will seek more nonlethal weapons and training -- as council recommends -- in light of next month's G-20 summit of world leaders at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

The bureau is already trying some of the things council suggests. It has tested a global positioning system, or GPS, device that allows it to pinpoint the locations of individual officers.

But Mr. Huss denied any suggestion that there's a quick technology fix in the era of high-powered bad guys. "Look, there's a lot of technologies out there," he said. "I don't like to use state-of-the-art technology. I like to use what I call state-of-the-shelf. What is proven?"

As yet, there's no equipment or training that's guaranteed to stop an ambush like the one police faced in Stanton Heights.

"None of this would have made any difference," said Ms. Pittinger, "on April 4."