PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to call Pittsburgh police chief Larry Scirotto to council to answer questions about his return to officiating college basketball.
Shortly after that move, the city sent an email canceling a news conference that had been scheduled to unveil more details about the chief’s return to refereeing.
>> Pittsburgh Police Chief Scirotto takes second job as basketball referee
The chief and mayor also planned to release details about a program to teach youngsters about officiating.
11 Investigates broke the story last Thursday that Scirotto had already returned to college basketball.
11 Investigates obtained video footage of Scirotto officiating a game between Michigan State and Northern Michigan in Marquette, Michigan earlier this month.
When he took the chief’s job last year, Scirotto said he was done refereeing college basketball and would be concentrating on improving the police bureau and police relations.
In a statement last week, Scirotto indicated that he approached the mayor about returning to basketball because he felt the department was in a better place.
On Monday morning, Mayor Ed Gainey said he agreed to allow Scirotto to pursue basketball again because of the decline in the murder rate.
>> With murder rate down, Pittsburgh police chief is free to referee, Mayor Gainey says
Mayor Gainey also said he and the chief would release more details at a news conference set for Tuesday afternoon at a recreation center in the Hill district.
The police officers’ union blasted the decision to allow the chief to return and said that Scirotto made “wholesale” changes that left the department in “turmoil” and will now be a “part-time” chief.
The union said the bureau needs a full-time chief to deal with all of the operational and procedural changes and a severe staffing shortage.
The department is down more than 100 officers.
An hour and a half before the scheduled Tuesday news conference, 11 Investigates received an email from the city that the news conference would be canceled.
“An advisory will be issued if this event is rescheduled at a later date,” the news release said.
“I’d like to schedule a post agenda regarding Chief Scirotto’s, whether we call leave of absence. I got a lot of questions from my district, talking to some members, a lot of concerns, valid concerns, I think,” said councilmember Anthony Coghill.
At Tuesday’s meeting, city council unanimously agreed to call the chief to a public hearing.
Scirotto, who makes $185,000 as chief, said he plans to do up to 65 games in the Big Ten conference from November until the end of March.
It’s unclear what he’s paid but some officials reportedly earn up to $3,000 per game.
Some council members now want to know how many days he’ll be away as 65 games and a travel day for each could add up to as many as 130 days in that five month season for college basketball.
“Myself and my constituents, my colleagues, I think need to know before we go funding an almost $200,000 salary, does that mean that chief Scirotto is not going to be here for four months of the year, does that mean he’s going to be working remotely,” said Coghill.
Coghill said he plans to schedule that public hearing before the college basketball season begins on November 4th.
What’s also unclear is if Scirotto will be away refereeing that first week of November.
The election is that week and he’s canceled all vacation days for officers and he’s ordered them to work 12-hour shifts as a precaution.
11 Investigates sent a list of questions to the mayor’s office and to the public safety department but has not received a response.
The mayor has promoted Assistant Chief Chris Ragland to deputy chief. Scirotto said Ragland will cover for him when he’s away.
But it’s unclear how the city plans to pay for that since the deputy chief position was eliminated from the budget.
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