Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus sent Mayor Luke Ravenstahl a letter Wednesday demanding more insight into the abrupt cancellation of special police patrols in the South Side entertainment district.

Mr. Kraus said financial constraints, the explanation the police department provided last week, didn't sound credible because of the many citations and fines the details generated.

"Certainly, an enforcement program that essentially funds itself could not have been discontinued based on unsubstantiated budgetary restraints," he said in the letter, also addressed to Public Safety Director Michael Huss.

Mr. Kraus demanded a "full explanation" for cancellation of the weekend details, which in a month's time resulted in hundreds of citations for parking violations, public urination and other offenses. Dozens of illegally parked cars were towed, and police made a handful of arrests for lewdness and disorderly conduct.

Mayoral spokeswoman Joanna Doven and police spokeswoman Diane Richard reiterated last week's explanation: The money ran out.

"Our funding for this type of detail is running low," Ms. Richard said. "We have to keep in place some reserve, if you will, in case anything else comes up. This has to last through the end of the year."

Ms. Richard wasn't immediately able to say how much was allocated this year for saturation details citywide or how much remains. Ms. Doven said the money is used for other purposes in other neighborhoods, such as a beefed-up presence after a homicide.

Because the city gets only a percentage of fine revenue, Ms. Richard said, the South Side details didn't pay for themselves.

Mr. Kraus said the details weren't a panacea for the nightclub district's ills but a step in the right direction. He said the police seemed proud of the numerous citations being written.

The police bureau announced on Friday the patrols would continue last weekend; hours later, it issued another advisory saying they were canceled until further notice.

"There has to be some kind of justification, and I don't believe it's financial," Mr. Kraus said.

Ms. Richard attributed the conflicting announcements to miscommunication in the police bureau.

She said Chief Nathan Harper decided to cancel the patrols and will evaluate their effectiveness before deciding whether to restart them next year.

Mr. Kraus said he addressed his letter to Mr. Ravenstahl and Mr. Huss because he believed Chief Harper canceled the patrols on their orders.