Officer files federal suit against city
Whistleblower alleges assistant police chief retaliated against him
A Pittsburgh police officer is suing the city and an assistant chief, claiming he was discriminated against for exposing as much as $1 million in potential waste through the bureau’s information technology system.
Souroth Chatterji filed the civil rights and whistleblower complaint Wednesday in federal court in Pittsburgh, alleging that Assistant Chief Linda Barone, who also serves as the deputy director of public safety, threatened his career and urged subordinates to retaliate against him after he began investigating her potential involvement with B-Three Solutions Inc.
Alicia George, the police bureau spokeswoman, said neither she nor Assistant Chief Barone would comment on the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Officer Chatterji, who joined the department in 2012, was asked to evaluate the bureau’s IT programs by former police Chief Cameron McLay and Cmdr. Eric Holmes in 2015.
During his review, the lawsuit alleges, Officer Chatterji discovered that the city had paid millions of dollars to B-Three for updates
and upgrades to its technology, but that the improvements were never completed. Further, he found that other companies would have provided a better product — often with free updates and maintenance — for less cost.
In the lawsuit, Officer Chatterji alleges that Assistant Chief Barone told him that “if he kept digging into B-Three Solutions, then it would lead to his ruin.”
Among Officer Chatterji’s findings in his investigation, according to the lawsuit:
• The police bureau paid $110,000 to B-Three in 2014 to automate officer daily activity sheets, which still has not been completed;
• It paid $150,000 to automate and standardize the chain of custody process for property and evidence, and that, too, still has not been completed;
• The bureau paid $75,000 in 2011 to automate and streamline its “confidential report systems,” used by homicide detectives — still not complete;
• It was paying $300,000 annually for software maintenance, which, from other companies, would have been free.
The investigations into B-Three, the lawsuit also said, revealed that federal grant money was used to pay the company, and because of that, the police bureau was required to complete annual reports to the federal government, disclosing how the funds were spent.
Those reports, the lawsuit alleged, reported that the projects were completed by B-Three when they had not been.
Officer Chatterji reported his findings to then-Chief McLay and Cmdr. Holmes, who initiated an investigation into B-Three through the Office of Municipal Investigations and the FBI, the lawsuit said. But after Mr. McLay resigned in November 2016, the lawsuit said, Assistant Chief Barone was promoted from commander to assistant chief, terminated the OMI investigation and ordered the bureau to end its investigation with the FBI, as well as a separate investigation of B-Three being handled by another IT contractor.
“The city of Pittsburgh is named as a defendant, not only because the Bureau of Police is under their control but because the city of Pittsburgh knew the waste was occurring for years and did nothing to stop it,” said attorney Alec Wright, who is representing Officer Chatterji. “High-ranking officials within the city of Pittsburgh knew McLay ordered the investigation into B-Three Solutions, and reports were coming in about waste there on projects never completed.”
City spokesman Timothy McNulty on Wednesday issued a statement:
“The city does not comment on legal matters or allegations raised in lawsuits, which in this instance pertain to personnel matters and a contract issued by the [former Mayor Luke] Ravenstahl administration,” he said.
Although it is true that B-Three has worked with the city since at least 2011 when Mr. Ravenstahl was in office, Chief McLay was hired by Mayor Bill Peduto, and Officer Chatterji’s investigation into BThree began during Mr. Peduto’s frst term in office.
The complaint also alleges that Officer Dawn Bowen and Sgt. Anthony Cortopassi intimidated Officer Chatterji at Assistant Chief Barone’s instruction, and that they, along with Assistant Chief Barone’s daughter, Alexis Barone, who works for Pittsburgh’s Department of Innovation and Performance, referred to him by racial slurs relative to his Indian descent.
Officer Chatterji also claims in the lawsuit that he was denied a promotion to sergeant, even though he scored the highest in all categories.
Assistant Chief Barone stated to staff members, the complaint said, that Officer Chatterji wasn’t promoted because he was “dishonest, untrustworthy and had violated numerous rules and policies.”
“Assistant Chief Barone also stated to colleagues and other staff members of Pittsburgh that Officer Chatterji only scored number one overall because he was ‘Indian’ and thus was given extra credit that ‘ Americans’ were not given,” the lawsuit said. “Assistant Chief Barone further stated to colleagues and other staff members of Pittsburgh that Officer Chatterji was not promoted because of his incompetence because of his lack of understanding of ‘American ways.’”
Officer Chatterji is a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq.
“The city clearly supports a diverse police bureau, and in the last four years has made great strides in making the bureau more reflective of the city as whole,” Mr. McNulty said. “It is also committed to providing police with the technology they need to make crimefighting as effective as possible.”
Further, Mr. McNulty said, according to Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich, a 25-year FBI veteran, the agency reviewed files related to B-Three Solutions. Mr. McNulty also said Mr. Hissrich indicated that there is currently no FBI investigation into the firm or police bureau personnel.
An FBI spokeswoman said she could neither confirm nor deny the existence of any investigation.
On Jan. 29, according to the complaint, Ms. George, the police spokeswoman, confronted Officer Chatterji about his investigation into B-Three and told him “his career would be ruined unless he cooperated with Assistant Chief Barone, which included signing a non-disclosure agreement relating to any information he learned about her and B-Three Solutions during his investigation.”
Officer Chatterji is seeking compensatory damages including back pay and future earnings at a sergeant’s rank as well as punitive damages and attorney fees.