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Mayor Ed Gainey expected to name Christopher Ragland as next chief of police, sources say

Christopher Ragland expected to be named chief of police
Christopher Ragland expected to be named chief of police 02:44

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It has been three months since now-former Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto unexpectedly announced his retirement and sources have told KDKA-TV that Mayor Ed Gainey will soon name a successor. 

In the next two weeks, Mayor Gainey is expected to name a permanent successor to Scirotto and signs point to Christopher Ragland, who has been serving in that position the past three months in an acting capacity. 

Mayor Gainey has been visiting all of the city's police zones and speaking with rank-and-file officers about the state of the bureau, and barring any strong objections, sources have said that he will likely name Ragland the new chief, though the mayor's office would neither confirm nor deny that. 

"Mayor Gainey is currently touring the city's police zones and investigative units to have conversations with frontline officers. He will not be making any announcements regarding his nomination of a Chief of Police until this tour is concluded," his office said in a statement provided to KDKA-TV. 

Ragland, a 31-year career officer has served as chief in an acting capacity since Scirotto retired on November 1 to become a full-time college basketball referee. He is now at the end of his 90-day authorization to serve as acting chief and the mayor and council now have a decision to make. 

They either have to extend that status another 90 days, name him the full-time chief, or name someone else. 

No other internal candidate has emerged and sources tell KDKA-TV the administration has decided against conducting a nationwide search as it did prior to Scirotto's hiring. The search is time-consuming and expensive, and those same sources have said Gainey wants to stabilize the police bureau with Ragland, who has already served as commander of three different zones and units. He also shares the mayor's belief in strong police-community relations. 

A native North Sider who served as commander in the neighborhood, Ragland has been a proponent of community policing and establishing partnerships with community and social service organizations to address the underlying causes of crime. 

More recently, he was focused on cleaning up Downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to arresting more drug dealers and other criminals, he worked with outreach workers to help get homeless people off of the street. 

We contacted Acting Chief Ragland about this situation and he had no comment other than "My focus is on the constant improvement of the police bureau." 

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