Patrolman Patrick Scullin, a police officer from the Cleveland suburbs and an avid Browns fan, found himself patrolling yesterday on Pittsburgh's North Side, home of the hated Steelers.

"It hurts," he said with a chuckle.

But he quickly acknowledged his admiration for the Steelers' hometown.

"It's a beautiful city," he said, still clad in his riot control gear after helping with policing for the People's March from Oakland.

"Actually, it's a lot nicer than Cleveland."

Patrolman Scullin was one of 10 officers with the Westshore Enforcement Bureau and thousands of out-of-town police who came to Pittsburgh this week to help secure the city during the G-20 summit.

Most officers worked 12-hour shifts and were on call the rest of the time for emergencies, meaning few newcomers had a chance to sightsee.

But Maj. Dale Greene, of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina, found time to go to a Pirates game Tuesday night. Like many first-time visitors, he was more impressed by his surroundings than by the team's performance.

"You have a beautiful stadium," he said.

Charlotte, which sent 44 officers to Pittsburgh for the summit, routinely assists with major events in other cities, including the January inauguration of President Barack Obama in Washington and the recovery in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Maj. Greene said his officers planned to start the nine-hour drive back home last night, and he was hoping to arrive by 5 a.m. today.

The Pittsburgh Police Bureau has about 900 officers, and Chief Nate Harper has said he wanted to have as many as 4,000 officers on hand for the summit. The Pennsylvania State Police sent 1,200 troopers, and more than 40 other agencies contributed personnel.

Pittsburgh police Assistant Chief William Bochter said the visiting and local officers operated as a "cohesive unit."

"I'm very proud of the officers," he said. "They've shown tremendous restraint and tremendous professionalism."

The feelings of respect were mutual for Lt. Les Fetterman of Erie.

"Pittsburgh police and Pittsburgh SWAT are some of the best guys I've ever worked with," he said. "They're very well prepared."

He and his 22 fellow Erie police officers slept in an empty school during their off hours and didn't have any time to enjoy themselves.

"It's all business."

Some locals tried to ease the burden.

Tom Hardy, general manager of the Sheraton Station Square, said a number of hotel employees camped out on the premises for the summit and decided to make the meals they were preparing for themselves available to police officers. By midday yesterday, they were feeding some 300 police and National Guardsmen at no charge.

At the corner of Fifth Avenue and William Penn Place in the afternoon, a Baltimore man decided to serenade two dozen police officers parked on motorcycles, including a few from his hometown.

"Born to be wild!" he crooned through a megaphone, prompting at least one officer to break with the serious demeanor and laugh.

The vocalist, sporting a scraggly gray beard and a ragged Army green vest, called himself Vermin Supreme.

"I like to sing to cops," he said.

It was hard to tell if the police were fans. They roared down Fifth Avenue as soon as Mr. Supreme finished his somewhat atonal performance.

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