Pittsburgh Police Chief Scirotto plans to referee basketball games

Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto plans to return to the basketball court at least during off-hours, a turnaround that the city’s police union chief says is prohibited.

In a statement sent Thursday afternoon, Scirotto announced that he would return to refereeing college basketball in his free time.

“As a lifelong sports fan who lives and breathes teamwork, I have found a way to stay on schedule so that I can continue to fight for you as your boss,” the statement said

“It’s a dream come true for me that I can now use to connect the city’s youth sports initiatives with city sports programs and now college basketball.”

NCAA referees work part-time, and Scirotto emphasized that he would “use [his] Own time to make sure the city doesn’t incur any costs.” He said Deputy Chief Chris Ragland will take on the role of deputy chief to “implement decisions in the few hours I’m on the field or respond to emergencies to react”.

“I am proud of the progress the force is making and I am committed to continuing to fight for your safety and the well-being of our officers,” Scirotto promised.

The statement came hours after a WPXI story reported that Scirotto had already officiated a Big Ten basketball game in early October. When asked to confirm whether Scirotto did so, public safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz deferred any further questions until an upcoming media release next Tuesday.

During earlier parts of his career in Pittsburgh and Ft. Lauderdale, Scirotto drew some criticism to referee college basketball games on the side. At the time of his appointment to the top job, Mayor Ed Gainey said Scirotto and the City Council would not officiate games voted unanimously to confirm him as chief last year.

But in a statement Thursday evening, Gainey said Scirotto “approached us regarding the possibility that he may need to step down from his role to pursue this part-time refereeing role. I said there has to be a better way. “It’s too good and we’re making too much progress not to keep fighting.”

Gainey said he stands by the progress Scirotto and the force are making in “community policing, reducing violent crime, diversifying the base and keeping us safe.” And he said he was “excited” by the “new and exciting possibilities that demonstrate the transformative power that sport can have.”

Robert Swartzwelder, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 1, was less enthusiastic. He said he was concerned that Gainey would add another command position, that of deputy chief, while the overall size of the force decreased.

“How can you reduce our headcount by 100 and create a new executive-level position?” he said. “We are so top-heavy, and yet they have not been reduced at all, but expanded.”

The decline in the city’s police force was not due to cuts but to attrition as officers retired or found work elsewhere. As a result of these departures, 752 officers are still on duty. Cruz said a 30-person recruit class is expected to begin in November.

And Gainey’s budgets reflected expectations that it would be difficult to replenish the ranks any time soon. Be proposed 2025 budget sets the staffing level of the city police bureau at 800 officers; A few years before the office was budgeted for the 900 officers previously considered the city’s ideal troop strength.

“Now you’re adding another position for someone to be a referee?” Swartzwelder said. “I don’t know what to say. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Councilman Anthony Coghill said he found the announcement “a little disturbing” because he wants Pittsburgh’s police chief to “focus fully on the problems we have in the city.”

“So far I’ve been assured it won’t be disruptive, but I want to hear this firsthand,” Coghill said. “When you have a serious job like the Pittsburgh police chief, I just need to know that his focus is here and that his work as a referee is not going to take away from his time here.”