Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday questioned the mayor’s police chief nominee under oath but declined to ask about controversial harassing text messages he’s accused of sending a subordinate at his prior job.
An investigation in Maryland linked Jason Lando to an account that sent expletive-laced text messages from anonymous “burner” numbers last year.
Before being sworn in, Lando read a prepared statement expressing regret over what happened in Frederick, Md., where he served as police chief for five years until being tapped to run the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police by Mayor Corey O’Connor.
Lando did not explicitly admit to council that he sent the texts, and he has refused to say whether he did when asked directly by TribLive.
Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he discussed the situation with Lando privately before Wednesday’s hearing.
Coghill, who chairs council’s public safety committee, said he was convinced Lando could provide stability for the beleaguered Pittsburgh force despite the incident in Frederick.
“I know he regrets it. He knows it was bad judgment,” Coghill told TribLive. “Ultimately, I decided, me personally, it wasn’t enough to deny him the chief job.”
Lando was accused of sending harassing, anonymous messages to a former police corporal, Daniel Sullivan.
Sullivan has questioned Lando’s fitness to serve as Pittsburgh police chief.
A criminal investigation by Maryland authorities wrapped up last month after finding “no violations of criminal law.”
Lando, a Squirrel Hill native and veteran of Pittsburgh’s police bureau, told council members he was “the target of relentless harassment” from the former officer and he “ultimately responded to this former officer in a way that is out of character for me.”
“I do regret my mistake,” Lando said, reiterating that such behavior was not typical for him. “I can also assure you it will not happen again.”
A search warrant revealed the texts to Sullivan came from four anonymous phone numbers linked to a single account that was created and registered using Lando’s name and personal phone number, according to a report by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.
Councilman Bob Charland, D-South Side, said he had no questions about the probe into Lando.
“My bigger concern was the chief’s view on policing, both in terms of how he plans on managing his officers and how he plans on interacting with the community,” Charland said. “Those were, I think, the questions I was asking and the questions others were asking.”
Coghill said he was pleased that Lando addressed the incident publicly at the start of Wednesday’s meeting and saw “no sense in belaboring it” with further questions.
“I think we’d be hard pressed to find anybody anywhere who doesn’t have something,” he said.
Lando has been serving as acting chief since O’Connor’s inauguration following a long period of turmoil at the police bureau, which saw a rotating cast of chiefs under former Mayor Ed Gainey.
No helping ICE
Members of council also questioned Sheldon Williams, a former Pittsburgh police officer nominated to be the city’s public safety director. He has also been serving in an acting capacity.
Council still must vote on the mayor’s picks for department heads and bureau chiefs.
The pair mark the first nominees who were interviewed under oath after council adopted a new policy aimed at curbing dishonesty following problems with a former police chief, Larry Scirotto, under the previous mayoral administration.
Council President R. Daniel Lavelle had each candidate raise his right hand and swear to tell “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth” during their hourslong question-and-answer session and to “faithfully discharge the duties” of their posts.
Williams, who was among the first top officials O’Connor tapped when assembling his administration, launched his career as a Pittsburgh paramedic. He served 18 years in the Army Reserves and Air Force National Guard and worked as a member of the SWAT team and bomb squad for the city’s police force.
Lando and Williams reiterated the mayor’s promise that the city will not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Surges in ICE activity — particularly in areas like Minneapolis, where two people were killed by federal immigration agents this month — have sparked nationwide protests.
“Mayor O’Connor has been very clear that he wants a welcoming city,” Williams said.
In his more than 20 years as a police officer, Lando said, he’s never asked someone for their immigration status. The police bureau, he said, does not enforce federal immigration laws.
He said he does not want anyone in the city to be wary of dialing 911 for fear they would bring immigration officials.
But the city doesn’t have the authority to prohibit ICE, he said.
“We also can’t intervene and prevent federal agents from doing their jobs,” Lando said.
Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, suggested crafting a plan that outlined how Pittsburgh would react to a major surge in ICE personnel.
Williams said he supported the idea, adding that it could include information for residents about their rights under such circumstances.
Lando said he would explore the city’s existing policies to ensure they are up to date and align with officials’ stance.
But the chief said he’s hesitant to be too vocal about his opposition to ICE for fear it could put Pittsburgh in the crosshairs for the kind of large-scale operation now underway in Minneapolis.
“I’m afraid the more outspoken we are about this, the more attention we will potentially attract,” Lando said. “The last thing I want to see is 1,000 ICE agents descend on Pittsburgh.”
Lando said city police won’t cover their faces like federal immigration agents are doing across the country.
He encouraged calling police if anyone sees people nabbing someone off the street.
Federal officials, he said, will confirm to police whether such incidents were immigration officers so they know whether or not to treat them as kidnappings.
Priority list
Lando and Williams told officials they would support efforts to curb dangerous driving, improve relationships with residents and connect with the city’s youths.
Williams also shared a vision of closer collaboration among the public safety bureaus and expanded training programs for paramedics.
Lando said he was happy that violent crimes have declined in recent years — but fighting violence would remain a top priority.
“We have to keep on it,” he said.
Lando said he wants to prioritize officer wellness initiatives, calling for the hiring of a certified clinician who would offer mental health support for officers.
He had launched a similar effort in Frederick, where several officers signed up for regular counseling, though many in the bureau had initially seemed skeptical.
The acting chief also wants to hire a full-time professional development coach to steer young leaders in the bureau.
Recruitment, retention
Lando and Williams agreed they need to focus on recruiting and retaining police officers. The bureau last year saw its staffing levels drop to their lowest numbers in two decades.
“Growing our department is going to take some work,” Williams said.
Williams said he wants to go beyond job fairs. He suggested mentoring programs that give people “a look into what police work is” and ensuring that officials stay in touch with potential candidates who have shown some interest in public safety careers.
Lando pitched the idea of launching an employee advisory committee made of representatives throughout the bureau who would meet with the chief monthly to talk about what kinds of support they need and how working conditions could be improved.
He hopes such an effort would encourage officers to stay with Pittsburgh’s police force, rather than move to suburban departments that sometimes lure away city officers with higher pay.
“If we can’t afford to pay more and do some of the shiny things, something that means a lot to our officers is having a say in how their department operates,” Lando said. “When they feel like they’re being heard and they have a voice in how their own department operates, the morale goes up.”
Putting some civilians in positions within the bureau that don’t require a uniformed officer — like technicians who process evidence or crime scenes — would free up more officers for work that can be done only by a sworn officer with a badge and a gun.
He suggested civilians could also man desks at police zones overnight so facilities are never empty.
Improving relations
Both Lando and Williams said they wanted to increase opportunities to partner with the community and ensure residents feel safe around police.
While chief in Frederick, Lando said, he identified several groups that had strained relationships with police, including the deaf and hard of hearing, LGBTQ, Black, Hispanic and Asian communities.
Officers volunteered to be liaisons with each of those communities, attending meetings and events and trying to rebuild trust with marginalized groups.
Lando wants to launch something similar in Pittsburgh.
“It helps those communities feel like they have a voice in the police department,” he said.
Lando said he also wants to focus on improving youth outreach efforts.
“There are three ways I think we can engage with the community,” Williams said. “We can do for the community, we can do to the community — but I want to do with the community.”
