PITTSBURGH �� Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay has asked two agencies to investigate his appearance in uniform last week for his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
An investigator _ who could be a civilian or a police officer _ has yet to be assigned from the city's Office of Municipal Investigations, which is under the Law Department, according to Timothy McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto.
The Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board, an advisory body, has already begun an inquiry into McLay's appearance. The board will look at whether the chief violated the city code, ethics regulations, professional standards and rules governing the conduct of public employees.
Police union President Robert Swartzwelder was not impressed by the chief's request in light of statements by Peduto and his chief of staff, Kevin Acklin, that the convention speech did not run afoul of the city code. The code says officers are not permitted to "campaign for a candidate for any office or for a ballot issue while on duty, while wearing a uniform or while on City property" or while identifying as police bureau employee.
"I would say you're wasting a lot of money and time and effort," Swartzwelder said Monday. "First of all, he went there with permission of the mayor, obviously. ... He's the only one that can discipline the chief. So why are you wasting a bunch of OMI investigators' time and effort and money when the mayor's already come out publicly saying there's no wrongdoing?"
Elizabeth Pittinger, the review board's executive director, said the chief's appearance on the convention stage last week to discuss recent shootings of and by police, community relations and criminal justice reform, demands a thorough analysis. Of critical importance, she said, is to ensure that there is not a double standard in how rank-and-file officers are treated compared with the chief.
"The public deserves a full vetting of the controversy," said. Pittinger, who called it a "messy, messy thing."
She said the chief "probably technically violated the code, but that the greater good was served," a remark that set off Swartzwelder. "I didn't know that's how we evaluate police conduct," he said.
McNulty said the convention organizers reached out to the city the day before the chief's speech, "and the mayor told the chief that it was up to the chief if he wanted to do it or not and embraced the opportunity to talk about community policing in front of millions of people. And the mayor's only stipulation was that it not be political in any way, and it wasn't."
The chief of staff checked "the relevant code language," McNulty said, adding, though, that he did not believe the city solicitor was consulted. He defended the independence of OMI's investigation.
"OMI is an independent office under the law department and the solicitor, and they will produce a fact-based report without any influence whatsoever from this administration," Mr. McNulty said. "The (union) president doesn't know what he's talking about."
