Pittsburgh's independent Citizen Police Review Board has opened an inquiry into the arrest Sunday of Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter after an altercation with a city police officer outside a bar.
Shortly after the board announced the review, acting Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert issued a statement saying that he had viewed video taken from "several vantage points" and supports the actions of arresting officer Paul Abel.
The review board has not received any complaints about the arrest or been contacted by Porter or anyone representing him, its executive director, Elizabeth Pittinger, said Tuesday. Pittinger said she launched the inquiry to help people "discern facts from speculation." The board has proactively opened inquiries before.
"It's not unusual, because it was a high-profile incident. Both characters bring a certain celebrity with them, and there's an awful lot of public speculation and innuendo out there," Pittinger said, referring to Porter and Abel. "Because of that, and the board's desire to assure the public that appropriate policies and procedures are followed, in that kind of circumstance, I would open an inquiry."
The board does not have disciplinary powers; it provides recommendations to police bureau administrators.
Pittinger said the board's inquiry likely will focus on whether Abel followed policies governing officer conduct and the use of body cameras. Abel and Porter struggled after Abel was called to a South Side bar to address a dispute between Porter and a doorman.
An affidavit filed by police indicates that Abel turned on his body camera partway through the incident. Police supervisors have said the bureau instructs officers to use body cameras "when it's safe for them to do so," noting that officers must also balance concerns about their own safety with protecting the identities of victims in sensitive crimes.
The body camera footage was part a set of videos Chief Schubert said he viewed "in order to clear the air regarding conflicting reports in the media surrounding the circumstances that led to the arrest of Mr. Porter."
"I have concluded that the officer's account of the incident is accurate and our officer conducted himself in the professional manner that is to be expected," Chief Schubert said.
Officer Robert Swartzwelder, president of the Pittsburgh police union, called the board's review "utterly ridiculous" and said he felt most conclusions about Officer Abel's conduct would be "premature" because "all the evidence isn't in."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette archives show Porter has had other run-ins with the law _ including in California and Nevada _ but those incidents didn't end in convictions.
Abel has had multiple controversial incidents in the past, some on-duty and some off, and some involving force.
The city once tried to fire Abel. In June 2008, he shot a man in a case of mistaken identity but was later found not guilty of criminal charges. An arbitrator returned him to work. Pittinger said the board had one separate case for Abel that was prepared to go to a public hearing, but the parties settled it.
An attorney for Porter said Tuesday morning that he was not yet interested in discussing the arrest.
