Pittsburgh officer involved in Jim Rogers' tasing death reinstated
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Pittsburgh officer involved in the tasing death of Jim Rogers is back on the job.
Pittsburgh Public Safety confirmed on Friday that Keith Edmonds was reinstated, and the police union said he'll receive full back pay and benefits dating back to March 24, when he was terminated.
FOP president Robert Swartzwelder said the union is limited by contract regarding public statements around arbitration discipline cases, but said, "This has been a long ordeal for all the officers involved in this case as a result of the tragic accidental death of Mr. Rogers."
After offering thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of Jim Rogers, a spokesperson for the mayor's office called the arbitrators' award "deeply" disappointing.
"Officer Edmonds himself testified that he violated the policies of the City of Pittsburgh, however this award adopts a new standard that says that even an admission of guilt by the officer isn't enough to warrant disciplinary action," the city's statement read.
"Our city deserves a police bureau that prioritizes treating every resident with dignity and respect and we deserve a system where our officers can be held accountable for their actions."
Police tased Rogers after he was accused of stealing a bike in October 2021. Rogers told officers he couldn't breathe and needed to go to a hospital, but officers delayed leaving until EMS arrived to treat some of their injuries. And even though West Penn Hospital was two blocks away from where the tasing happened, police took Rogers to UPMC Mercy Hospital, where he arrived unconscious and was later pronounced dead.
The city settled with Rogers' family for $8 million. Five officers were fired after Rogers' death. Three, including Edmonds, have returned to the force. One other faces arbitration and the fifth officer retired.
The NAACP's Pittsburgh branch said the decision to reinstate Edmonds "has sparked justified outrage and profound disappointment among us all."
"It not only erodes trust within our community but also upholds a system that neglects accountability, especially among those tasked with protecting and serving. Such a decision devalues Black lives, reducing them to mere financial sums. Regrettably, it seems the price tag of taking this Black Man's life has been valued at eight million dollars this time," a statement from the NAACP said in part.
Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board executive director Beth Pittinger said the outcome "is not universally welcomed."
"Regarding reinstatement of the officers involved, decisions made before all the facts were established may have been politically expedient but the day of reckoning always comes and those officers have been reinstated," she said.
No officers have been charged in Rogers' death.