Pittsburgh City Council considering changing process of confirming a police chief
Pittsburgh City Council will soon look at the idea of changing the process of confirming a police chief. Currently, there are talks to have six meetings for the public to get to know a candidate and see if they are the right fit.
Some members of the city council as well as some community groups question the transparency of the process and that's what they are trying to avoid this time around.
Councilman Anthony Coghill along with members Theresa Kail-Smith and Bob Charland worked together on the legislation. It comes after calls from the NAACP and Black Political Empowerment Project to allow the public to meet acting Chief Christopher Ragland and address any questions. There will be six community meetings, one in each police zone.
"They want to know the man. They want to know who he is. They want to get to know him," Councilmember Anthony Coghill said.
The acting chief is on board. He said he welcomes any chance to meet with the community.
"Tell them who I am and what I believe in, it means something. I just welcome the opportunity to do it," acting Chief Ragland said about the proposed meetings.
This call for the legislation follows the nationwide search for Chief Larry Scirotto and some of the council's questions. They felt it kept some people in the dark and lost residents' trust in the process. According to the city's Citizen's Police Review Board, trust needs to come back in the search.
"There's a lot of trust that needs to be restored between the community and the police," Executive Director Beth Pittinger said.
In a statement, Mayor Ed Gainey's office says they are committed to a transparent process. He feels this move from the council would make the process go beyond the 90-day nominating window they want, but said his office will follow the council's decision on a selection process.
"I think he's earned it. I think he's done an incredible job downtown," Mayor Gainey said of acting Chief Ragland.
The legislation is expected to be introduced in the next few weeks and start the meetings up in the spring.
