PITTSBURGH \u2014 Chief Investigator Rick Earle spoke one-on-one with the man nominated by Mayor-Elect Corey O\u2019Connor to become the city\u2019s next Police Chief, former Pittsburgh Police Commander Jason Lando. <\/p>\n
Earle: Your reaction to this moment? <\/p>\n
Lando: It is just an honor. This is the city where I was born and raised.<\/p>\n
Lando returns to Pittsburgh after spending the last five years as the Police Chief in Frederick, Maryland. <\/p>\n
He was one of three finalists for the Pittsburgh job three years ago, during a nationwide search conducted by Mayor Ed Gainey. <\/p>\n
Gainey selected Larry Scirotto, who also had worked most of his career in Pittsburgh and served as an assistant chief before retiring and becoming the Police Chief in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. <\/p>\n
Scirotto\u2019s second tour in Pittsburgh didn\u2019t last long. <\/p>\n
He left the Bureau after only 17 months after a controversy over his plans to return to officiate college basketball while continuing to serve as chief. <\/p>\n
Lando knows the job won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n
Earle: You take over a department that is struggling with numbers and low morale. How do you fix that? <\/p>\n
Lando: I think the important thing is to know that I\u2019m in it for the long haul. These are not going to be overnight fixes.<\/p>\n
Lando said he hopes to bring stability to a department that has had five police chiefs in four years.<\/p>\n
Mayor Elect O\u2019Connor said he made the decision early on to go after Lando because of that revolving door. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis was our priority and for too long we have not had a chief of police that was dedicated to the city and we had to make a decision and make it quick,\u201d said O\u2019Connor. <\/p>\n
During a news conference Thursday afternoon, Lando said he will focus on officer wellness and attracting new recruits. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my first orders of business is going to be to look internally to see what we can do as a police department to make this a place where people want to come work,\u201d said Lando. <\/p>\n
Lando is a big proponent of community policing, something he did during his time in Pittsburgh as a commander in the East End, and as the police chief in Frederick, Maryland the past five years. <\/p>\n
\u201cBuilding meaningful relationships with our community is the only way we are going to be successful as a police department,\u201d said Lando.<\/p>\n
While the murder rate is down across the city, Lando knows there have been trouble spots. He said violent crime is the top priority. <\/p>\n
Earle: How do you address the uptick in crime on the South Side and Downtown? <\/p>\n
Lando: I think every neighborhood is important. I want to be clear on that. But we know that our urban core, our economic hub, people aren\u2019t going to open up businesses, and they\u2019re not going to want to move here if they don\u2019t feel safe Downtown.<\/p>\n
Lando said he\u2019s already reached out to supervisors Downtown to see what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not and what resources they need.<\/p>\n
The selection process, though, is already drawing criticism from Brandi Fisher, the head of the Alliance for Police Accountability, who said she\u2019s concerned about the lack of community involvement. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great O\u2019 Connor thought it imperative to make a selection early so we could have much-needed leadership of a critical department when it comes to public safety, but to do so without community involvement or input sends a concerning message and sets a concerning precedent when it comes to co-governance and the importance of community engagement. We are both hopeful and watchful that Lando\u2019s relationship with the current rank and file doesn\u2019t prevent him from holding his fellow officials accountable and look forward to working with the incoming chief and learning the plan of both the incoming police chief and mayor since that hasn\u2019t been clear thus far,\u201d wrote Brandi Fisher, the CEO of the Alliance for Police Accountability in a statement to 11 Investigates. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor defended his decision because of the leadership turmoil in the department and he said the community had the opportunity to ask questions during the campaign. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor said there will be plenty of opportunities for residents to meet with Lando and ask questions. <\/p>\n
Lando must still be approved by the City Council, and he will have to testify before the council under oath. <\/p>\n
Council implemented that rule after some members said they felt misled by Scirotto\u2019s testimony when he indicated he was done officiating college basketball. <\/p>\n
18 months later and after nearly doubling his pension to $90,000 a year, he left to return to college basketball. <\/p>\n
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