Lawsuits against Pittsburgh and complaints about its police officers have decreased during the past two years, city leaders said Wednesday.
During that time, the Office of Municipal Investigations, which investigates complaints against city employees, moved under the Law Department from the Department of Public Safety. That was intended to limit conflicts of interest; as Mayor Bill Peduto has frequently said, “The police were policing the police.”
“What we have seen happen, over these past few years of working together with OMI, our law department and the police bureau, has been pretty significant. In the past few years, we’ve seen a 50 percent decrease — a 50 percent decrease — in the number of lawsuits filed against the city. At that same time, we’ve also seen a 43 percent decrease in major complaints to OMI,” Mr. Peduto said during a news conference Wednesday.
Complaints against city officers fell from 337 in 2013 to 191 last year, according to city data. Of the complaints in 2015, OMI sustained only six, though 49 remain open.
“When an employee violates policy, we investigate. Our facts are then submitted to the head of the department, the chief or director, and they are the ones who address the discipline. Our office is just the fact-finder,” OMI Director Deborah Walker said.
Some city officials credited the decrease in part to the leadership, standards and consistency of police Chief Cameron McLay and public safety director Wendell Hissrich.
Chief McLay said he was not surprised to hear there were fewer complaints against his officers, and he added that often, if an officer’s actions need to be addressed, it’s because of a mistake, not misconduct.
The independent Citizens Police Review Board has also seen a decrease in the number of complaints filed, executive director Elizabeth Pittinger said.
Only one third-party review of an OMI investigation has been conducted, Ms. Walker said.
Corporate Security Investigations of Monaca looked into the June 2014 arrest of a teenager at the PrideFest gay pride parade and a video showing an officer punch the teen, who was accused of hitting an anti-gay protester and the officer. OMI, CSI and the Citizens Police Review Board each concluded that the officer did not use excessive force.
Though OMI is under the law department now, city solicitor Lourdes Sanchez-Ridge said she wouldn’t see an OMI report unless a lawsuit were filed.
“Most of the time, I don’t see the OMI report at all, although the attorney assigned to defend the lawsuit does read it after the lawsuit has been filed,” she said via email. “... The Law Department oversees OMI’s personnel and budget, but not their investigations. We do provide legal advice if they request it.”
The number of lawsuits fell 50.5 percent since 2013, when a four-year high of 196 suits were filed against the city in state or federal courts. Ms. Sanchez-Ridge said police training and educating supervisors and employees, including about how to handle disciplinary actions, have helped bring that number down.
Since 2012, litigation payments peaked in 2014 at $1,047,535 and fell last year to $871,183, according to the city.
More statistics can be viewed in the Law Department and Office of Municipal Investigation’s annual report.
Lexi Belculfine: lbelculfine@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1878. Twitter: @LexiBelc.
First Published: March 24, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
