Pittsburgh police chief making officers promise not to leak info

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s new police chief has issued a new mandate, forcing officers to sign a document stating that they risk being fired if they talk publicly about any investigations.

"I was hired to restore the integrity of the leadership systems of this organization, and if there is corrupt or unethical behavior, make sure it came to a stop,” said Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay.

He didn’t name names, but McLay said that prior to his arrival, certain officers were leaking sensitive investigative information to the media.

McLay used the double homicide case of the Wolfe sisters in East Liberty as an example, claiming the news media leaks could have compromised the arrest and put witnesses in danger.

From now on, McLay told officers that if they leak information, they could be fired.

"And I hope that's enough to stop these unauthorized releases because it really can disrupt the integrity of the organization and the quality of our investigations,” said McLay.

The Pittsburgh Police Fraternal Order of Police reacted to the new mandate Thursday.

Union President Howard McQuillan issued the following statement to Channel 11:

"Officers already know that sensitive information on crimes cannot be divulged.

"The chief's memo, however, is too vague in terms of what we can and cannot say in any general situation."

McQuillan said he’ll ask the chief to make the policy more easily understood.

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