Council members want input on hiring of new police chief

PITTSBURGH — Several different people voiced their opinion Wednesday afternoon at a public meeting regarding the search for a new police chief.

Outsiders, as well as City Council members, had a lot of negative comments about the way the Pittsburgh Police Department has been operating. They said a major change needs to happen.

“There is simply no substitute for appointing a person of the highest integrity,” Pitt Law School Distinguished Scholar David Harris said.

Councilman Ricky Burgess said he thinks there should be a nationwide search for the best candidate.

Vic Walczak, the legal director of the ACLU in Pennsylvania, mentioned the shooting in the South Side where officers opened fire, as well as the Jordan Miles incident.

"Look at what's going on over the last few years. I thought my head was going to explode when I heard you had five off-duty officers fire at a car in a busy section of the city," Walczak said. "The biggest issue is that no one is standing up and saying, 'This is unacceptable.'"

More than a dozen people spoke Wednesday with different opinions on what the city of Pittsburgh needs in its new police chief.

WPXI