Peduto promises police oversight following recent demonstrations

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced Friday that he will be making changes to the Pittsburgh police department in the wake of recent protests.

A new incident commander will be assigned to oversee protests, as well as new seats at command posts for civil affairs and public safety community engagement staff who, the mayor said, “will make sure that responses to protest activity are not just tactical in nature, but balanced.”

Mr. Peduto also said a new oversight and command structure for the police Special Response Teams, which are trained in crowd control methods, will be implemented. SRTs will not be called as the primary unit to respond to protests, he said, but rather only “during narrowly defined situations when absolutely necessary to protect the public health.”

The guidelines for officials using SRT units will be made public once they are finalized.

Those guidelines will include a prohibition of “jump-out arrests” by plainclothes officers in unmarked vehicles, the statement said. All police units will also be barred from wearing military-style camouflage uniforms at protests and related events.

The “jump-out” arrest of protester Matthew Cartier, 25, during a protest in Oakland last weekend prompted two nights of protests outside Mr. Peduto’s house in Point Breeze. The second night ended with clashes between protesters and police.

Mr. Peduto condemned the tactics that police used to arrest Mr. Cartier, saying in a statement Monday that he was “livid” after seeing videos of the arrest.

Before the protest Wednesday night, however, Mr. Peduto criticized actions taken by some protesters who had spent the previous night outside his home, saying that he cannot defend a “peaceful protest devolving into unacceptable conduct in which residents are being harassed and threatened.”

In his announcement on Friday, Mr. Peduto said he and police Chief Scott Schubert will additionally emphasize to officers the need to protect members of the media covering such events.

“I fully support the unabridged First Amendment rights of the press, and I want them to freely monitor activity at protests on behalf of the public. Their presence and coverage are the backbone of transparency, accountability and democracy, and I apologize if that was hindered in any way on Wednesday.” he said.

Finally, Mr. Peduto said he, Chief Schubert and Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich will work together to expand the role of the Pittsburgh Police Community Engagement Office to expand their oversight of the Civil Affairs Unit, police recruitment and other programs “critical to reestablishing trust, confidence and positive relationships between police and all they protect and serve.”

“I have repeatedly watched interactions between police and protesters that escalated to uses of less-lethal weapons, arrest methods and other actions that I do not support and which run counter to our common principles. This is not the reform I wanted and that I continue to believe in today.”

City Councilman Ricky Burgess said he agrees with Mr. Peduto’s concerns on making sure protesters are treated fairly. However, he said he looks forward to partnering with Mr. Peduto on more reforms in public safety through long-term ongoing discussions.

“Protests are symptoms of the problem but not the real problem themselves,” Mr. Burgess said. “The real problem is the lack of hope in the African American community and that we need to make Black Pittsburgh matter, to protect the health and safety of Black people in Pittsburgh.”

Chief Schubert and Mr. Hissrich said on Friday that they both support the mayor’s decision and will work with his office to implement the announced changes safely and with the betterment of the relationship between the police and the community in mind.

“Our officers are as skilled with adapting to change as they are with serving and protecting the people of Pittsburgh day in and day out, without hesitation and without question. Their expertise and involvement will be instrumental to ensuring these changes will result in a safer, more inclusive and more compassionate Pittsburgh,” Chief Schubert said.

“To the men and women of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, we appreciate the tireless hard work and dedication you demonstrate each and every day, especially under extremely challenging circumstances.” Mr. Hissrich said. “We will do everything in our power to provide you with the leadership you need and deserve during this time.”

In a response to the mayor’s announcement, Pittsburgh police union President Robert Swartzwelder said guidelines for the use of SRT units are already clear and that he hopes Mr. Peduto will provide flame-retardant clothing to SRT unit members going forward.

As for the other structural changes, Mr. Swartzwelder said, “We’ll have to wait and see how these changes are implemented before I can comment further.”

Attorney Lisa Middleman, who represents Mr. Cartier, said she’d like to see more action taken by Mr. Peduto to address the concerns of protesters.

“I’m waiting with great anticipation to hear what the plans are for people and protesters who were hurt by police actions,” Ms. Middleman said. “... You can change the players, but if you don’t change the rules you’re playing the same game.”

Beth Pittinger, executive director of Pittsburgh’s Citizen Police Review Board, said she recommends Mr. Peduto also add a legal adviser to the Special Response Teams.

“It’s a decision of protecting people’s constitutional rights, and a legal adviser is the one with the subject matter and expertise to recognize when those rights can be infringed upon by various actions taken by police,” Ms.

Pittinger said. “You can have a whole bunch of people on that team making decisions, but it comes down to what is lawful, and what is the least intrusive on the rights of the people who are expressing free speech.”

Attorney Paul Jubas, who represents protest organizer Nique Craft, said Mr. Peduto’s new plans are “too little too late,” citing the recent arrests of protesters.

“Mayor Peduto has not taken a leadership role in this critical moment, he is only reacting,” Mr. Jubas said in a statement. “This City deserves stronger leadership than what Bill Peduto has displayed.”