Yesterday, I posted a reply to Alex Zimmerman’s blogh post regarding the timeline for the Pittsburgh investigation into the police incident at Pride. In my post, I commented that I believed that the Mayor would need to make a statement even if it was just to say that the investigation was ongoing. Well, that’s what he did this afternoon:

PITTSBURGH, PA – “Last month I called for an investigation of an arrest at the June 15 Pride Fest parade and said the city ‘will not delay this investigation, but I will not make any judgement until such time that OMI has had the opportunity to fully investigate.’
At this time, the investigation has progressed and is ongoing. The officer who is the subject of the investigation will remain off-patrol until OMI has completed their work.
I and my administration are committed to justice and fairness and we will ensure a complete and thorough investigation so that all parties may receive fair treatment from the City of Pittsburgh.”

For the record, I’m thrilled by the announcement. It demonstrates how this mayor is acting in a way totally different from past administrations.

Bill Peduto has been taking steady steps along a communicated path to get the City’s police department back to where it is working well for the whole of the city. While some have hoped he would rush things to get a new police chief hired, his actions and the process have been targeted, meaningful, and thorough. No one could have known that in the midst of this process, an incident would occur like what happened at Pittsburgh Pride. And from my perspective, the Mayor has shown by his statements following the incident and now today, that he is committed to doing things differently. This is good news for the residents of Pittsburgh! Thank you Mr Mayor!