A foundation-backed initiative to help Pittsburgh city government recruit well-qualified job candidates has assembled a diverse team to find the city's next police chief.
A10-member screening committee will gather information from the public and job candidates and recommend the top three to five prospects for Mayor Bill Peduto and acting Public Safety Director Stephen Bucar to consider.
"They need somebody who's going to work with the police department and the community to try and attack the issues," Jim Malloy, a member of the committee, said on Tuesday. Malloy, 73, of Brookline is a retired city police officer and former police union president.
Acting police Chief Regina McDonald has headed the bureau since former Chief Nate Harper resigned amid scandal in February 2013. Harper pleaded guilty to using police department funds for personal purchases and failing to file tax returns.
The new chief will have to contend with strained relations with minority groups and allegations that the department based promotions and disciplinary actions on politics.
"What's crucial is we have a leader who understands how important it is for police officers and the public to trust each other and work together as partners," said committee member David Harris, a University of Pittsburgh law professor and law enforcement expert.
The other members are Fred Thieman, a former U.S. attorney and president of the Buhl Foundation; Curby Anderson, a 2014 graduate of Perry High School; Wayne Babish, a retired Brentwood police chief; LaToya Warren, deputy warden of inmate services at the Allegheny County Jail; Erin Dalton, deputy director of Allegheny County Human Services; Valerie Dixon, a court-appointed advocate for families of homicide victims; Richard Garland, a former gang member who serves as a visiting instructor at Pitt's Center for Health Equity; and the Rev. Glenn Grayson of Wesley Center AME Zion Church in the Hill District.
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