PITTSBURGH — An investigation has been started into actions of the Pittsburgh police chief because of a controversial picture that’s gotten national attention.
Chief Cameron McLay, who has been heavily criticized and equally applauded for a New Year’s Eve tweet, has requested that his own actions be put under review.
McLay was photographed during First Night celebrations downtown holding a sign that said, “I resolve to challenge racism at work.”
The sign also had a hashtag that said, “End White Silence.”
The sign was praised by Mayor Bill Peduto, who thought it was a great way to begin 2015. However, some Pittsburgh police officers saw it as painting them as racists.
On Wednesday afternoon, Channel 11’s Renee Kaminski was told by McLay’s spokesperson, “Chief McLay has decided to suspend his Twitter account. He has also taken it upon himself to request an internal investigation of his use of social media.”
McLay told Channel 11 News anchor Lisa Sylvester why he apologized to the entire Bureau of Police.
“I apologized for not my action, but the ungraceful way I performed it,” he said. “It’s my responsibility as chief of police. I’m the chief for an entire community and if I take an action and (members of the community) perceive it and don’t understand what I’m doing, I’m responsible for that.”
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