PITTSBURGH — Outgoing Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto said when he was asked last year during his confirmation hearing before city council about giving up college basketball officiating, told the truth at the time.
Councilman Anthony Coghill questioned Scirotto at the time.
Coghill: I know that you have committed not to pursue that profession while you are here as Pittsburgh Police Chief. Correct?
Scirotto: That is correct.
In an interview on the Marty Griffin show on KDKA radio Thursday morning, Scirotto said he told the truth at the time.
“I answered the question correct and that was correct in that moment. I think people that know me know I wasn’t done officiating,” said Scirotto.
“I did have him on tape saying he was not going to pursue that,” Coghill said during an interview with 11 Investigates on Wednesday afternoon.
Scirotto also said he also had an incentive-based agreement with the mayor to revisit the possibility of refereeing as long as he reached certain goals dealing with gun violence, recruitment and other issues inside the department.
“We did those things and we did them better than expectations, and because of that I got the opportunity to revisit officiating,” said Scirotto.
But the Police Officers Union disagreed with that. They have said Scirotto came in and made a number of changes that left the department in turmoil.
At a public hearing earlier this week, council members blasted the mayor’s top administrators for failing to tell them about the secret agreement.
Coghill doubled down on that after the hearing.
“In what world do that not inform council of such a deal when the also attended the meeting where Chief Scirotto confessed that he would not pursue that career,” said Coghill.
Some sources inside the department said Scirotto, who left Pittsburgh Police in 2018 after more than two decades, only planned to work a year to pad his pension, and then return to refereeing.
Scirotto denied that.
“If that was the case why wouldn’t I have left on May 10? It’s a year lookback. I was invested. We were invested. My family was invested,” said Scirotto.
But his pension has now nearly doubled to $90,000 per year.
“He just got a $42,500 a year raise for the rest of his life when he starts collecting his pension compliments of the city of Pittsburgh,” said Coghill.
“It seems like Chief Scirotto pulled a fast one and he really got away with one on Mayor [Ed] Gainey, said Councilman Bob Charland.
Scirotto was not under contract, according to the Mayor’s top administrators.
But after this debacle, some council members believe it’s time to start signing the chief to a contract with specific requirements and guidelines.
“In that contract, we hope to say no outside work because we need a police chief full-time. There is no moonlighting as a police chief,” said Coghill.
A nationwide study of police chief compensation by the Police Executive Research Forum in 2021 found that most bans outside work or at the least limit it to duties like teaching, speaking, writing and consulting.
Police Officers Union President Bob Swartzwelder suggested it could save taxpayers money.
“If they violate that contract or are in breach, you may not have to pay them a pension, you may not have to give them retiree health care or any of those other things,” said Swartzwelder.
The chief said he fully intended to continue working as chief and refereeing at the same time, but he said it became too much of a distraction and that’s why he decided to step down.
His last day is Friday.
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