Pittsburgh officers finally testify about alleged misconduct

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Three Pittsburgh police officers who tried to avoid testifying about alleged misconduct during an arrest finally gave that testimony Thursday in front of the Citizen Police Review Board.

Officers Matthew Gardner, Christopher Rosato and Nicholas Papa had refused since January to comply with subpoenas issued by the board while the Fraternal Order of Police challenged their legality in AlleghenyCounty Common Pleas Court.

Thursday’s testimony centered on allegations that Officer Gardner violated department policies when he arrested a suicidal woman in Lawrenceville on March 30, 2015.

The officers kicked down the door to the woman’s room, shocked her with a Taser and handcuffed her — then charged her with three felonies and six misdemeanors. Five of the charges later were withdrawn and the others were reduced to minor misdemeanors as part of a deal in which the woman agreed to getmental health treatment.

CPRB’s executive director, Elizabeth Pittinger, alleges that Officer Gardner violated two bureau policies — one dealing with responding to incidents involving people with mental illness, the other with standards of conduct — and that he did not follow his crisis intervention training.

Officer Gardner testified Thursday that he had initially intended to take the woman to a hospital for mental health treatment but changed his mind after she threatened the officers. At that point, he said,he thought she should go to jail.

He said the woman waved a scalpel while shouting that she would kill the officers. He admitted that he told a friend of the woman’s that he might have to shoot her. He said he told the friend he would shoot the woman if she charged at him; the friend testified he said he would shoot her if she simply came out of the house.

Officers Papa and Rosato, who