Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board concerned about how long search for new chief has taken
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The search for the next chief of police continues for the city of Pittsburgh.
According to the mayor's office, earlier this month, they planned to announce a chief within two weeks. That was almost three weeks ago.
For groups like the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board, the search is taking too long.
The new face of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has still not been publicly announced, and it's been nine months since former Chief Scott Schubert left.
"At that point, the process should have been kickstarted and by the time we rolled into the end of 2022, we should have already been confident that there was a chief standing, waiting to come in," said Beth Pittinger, executive director of the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board.
She said this process should have never dragged on like this.
"We need to know what's the fundamental plan here to maintain the organization. They're in trouble," Pittinger said.
Earlier this month, sources told KDKA-TV the Gainey administration offered the job to Ryan Lee, the former embattled police chief of Boise, Idaho. Mayor Gainey insists that is not the case.
According to Pittinger, this long process can damage the community-police relations. Officers can expect change when a new chief is hired but they have been in limbo since July of last year.
"That can undermine the confidence of the bureau officers," Pittinger said on Monday.
This new chief will face an uphill challenge from the start. They will have to build up morale as well as recruit officers to a department that's been losing them to other regions.
"They're going to have to pretty much walk on water when it comes to being a police leader," Pittinger told KDKA-TV.
Pittinger said this long process also creates problems for public safety.
Acting Chief Tom Stangrecki is holding down the fort but it's not his role to make city-altering changes. With the safety concerns of some for parts of the city, she believes you can't keep waiting to put someone in the chief role.
"Having a reasonable well-thought plan for public safety is the job of the chief of police," Pittinger said.
KDKA-TV did reach out to the mayor's office about when someone would be announced. They did not give an exact date but did say they are still finalizing the selection and a nominee will be announced as soon as that process is complete.