Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey wants his acting police chief, Christopher Ragland, to take the position permanently, his office announced Friday. The nomination now proceeds to city council, which must confirm Gainey’s choice.
“Acting Chief Ragland has demonstrated the ability to lead the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police with a commitment to moving the Bureau in the right direction,” Gainey said in a lunchtime statement announcing the move. “He has a deep understanding of all Bureau needs — from operations to administration — and a strong commitment to human and civil rights."
Ragland has spent more than 30 years in the bureau of police, with stints spent leading police zones 1, 3 and 6, as well as heading up the Special Deployment Division, which includes specialty units like SWAT, bomb disposal, canine units, and river rescue. He currently serves as assistant chief of the bureau’s professional standards branch, which develops training policies and oversees internal investigations of police conduct.
Ragland has been the acting chief since last fall, when former police chief Larry Scirotto retired amid controversy over his desire to referee college basketball games. Scirotto had designated Ragland to fill in for him at times when referee duties prevented him from being in the city.
The statement from Gainey’s office hailed Ragland’s “deep understanding of the Bureau’s operations,” and said the choice of Ragland followed a “careful and thorough process, including engagement with officers … across the city, where Mayor Gainey sought input on what improvements are needed.”
Gainey’s choice comes as little surprise. The city eschewed the kind of national talent search it had engaged in prior to hiring Scirotto, and city officials were expecting the move. Earlier this week, council agreed to extend Ragland’s tenure as interim chief by 30 days.
At the time, Council President Dan Lavelle said he thought there was a “good chance” that Ragland would be Gainey’s pick. “That’s still in their hands,” he said Tuesday.
Anthony Coghill, who chairs council's public safety committee, agreed Friday that "it was no big secret that they were planning to put him up."
Still, he said, "I'm not quite sure how to feel about it. I know he has a lot of experience, but I'm anxious to see how the rank-and-file feels about it."
Like police departments in other cities, Pittsburgh has struggled with staffing and morale issues. Ragland did not immediately return a call Friday afternoon.
Coghill also said he would have preferred Gainey to hold off on making a choice until after the May 20 primary, when the mayor is facing a spirited re-election challenger in County Controller Corey O'Connor. "Whoever wins, I'd like them to have someone they trust in that position" — even if it meant having an acting chief in place until next year, should O'Connor win the party's nomination and the subsequent election in November.
As it stands, Ragland will be the first mayoral appointee to be sworn in before he undergoes a public job interview with council. Just this past week council approved a measure, proposed by Coghill, that requires nominees to testify under oath. Council added the requirement in the wake of Scirotto's departure, after Coghill and others felt he'd concealed his intent to referee basketball games, despite being asked about it during the hiring process.
"We'll be putting our new tool in place. I'm excited about that," Coghill said. "We aren't looking to prosecute anybody but we want to have the recourse if something wild happens."
This story is developing and will be updated.
