Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto To Announce Major Shakeup Of Pittsburgh Police Brass Over Protest Tactics
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is expected to announce a major shakeup of Pittsburgh Police brass over tactics used in quelling protests.
This comes after two nights of protests outside of Mayor Bill Peduto's home. Police say they used pepper spray and arrested a man at Mellon Park on Wednesday night.
KDKA's Andy Sheehan reports Mayor Peduto was highly critical of the police confrontation at Mellon Park. He's laying the blame on command staff and says change of assignments is needed.
Mayor Peduto says police leadership has repeatedly failed to respond to his calls for restraint in dealing with protesters. He says he'll be announcing assignment changes.
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After front stoop talks between the mayor and protesters broke down Wednesday, police waited and declared an "unlawful assembly" around 10 p.m. The group of protesters marched along an exit route, set up by police, to Mellon Park.
In the police report, law enforcement says protesters blocked the intersection at Fifth Avenue and Beechwood Boulevard and pointed lasers at their eyes, which they say have been used by protesters in other cities in attempts to blind officers.
Police say they deployed OC pepper spray when a woman protester struck officers with an umbrella and then arrested 26-year-old Ian Frazier, who they say rammed one officer with his bicycle.
But an attorney who represents the protesters says it was the police who forced the confrontation, telling protesters to go into the park and then telling them the park was off-limits.
"When you funnel people into Mellon Park, only to tell them that is now the unlawful assembly and then you advance on them, that's an entirely different situation," attorney Paul Jubas told KDKA Thursday.
FOP President Robert Swartzwelder is predicting massive retirements of police in October when 268 officers become eligible, citing comments by Mayor Peduto and District Attorney Stephen Zappala over the police handling of the protests.
"They're pinching the police in the middle and police officers feel that no matter what they do they're going to be criticized by the two highest public, which is going to change public opinion and force negative ramifications on the the police officers and some police officers are going to say 'ok you don't want us, we'll go and do something else,'" he said.
Stay with KDKA for the latest on this developing story.
