Pittsburgh councilmen bristle over call for police backup at public meeting

Two Pittsburgh City Council members are calling for an investigation and report on why council’s sergeant at arms — a uniformed Pittsburgh police officer — requested backup during a heated public meeting last week.

In a statement over the weekend, Councilmen R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill District, and Khari Mosley, D-Point Breeze, referred to a standing committee meeting held Wednesday when John Svitek, council’s sergeant at arms, asked for additional law enforcement to assist him in a crowded council chambers.

Four city police officers responded and remained on hand for a short time, according to Emily Bourne, a police spokesperson. Two deputies from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office also arrived but did not enter the chamber, said Mike Manko, a spokesperson for the office.

“Calling law enforcement on residents peacefully lobbying for anti-violence initiatives is, at best, puzzling and, at worst, deeply troubling,” Lavelle and Mosley wrote in a statement posted Saturday to social media.

The pair called for a report on what prompted the request for additional police and what occurred when the deputies arrived.

They pledged to “further investigate and take steps to ensure this does not happen again.”

The city’s Public Safety Department said late Monday afternoon it had launched an internal inquiry to review “the details from that day, including radio communications, video, and body-worn camera footage.”

During the meeting, 71 people registered to provide public comment, with most of them discussing the Stop the Violence trust fund and advocating for the programs that receive grant money from it.

Additional speakers who had not registered also voiced support for the fund, which provides grants to violence prevention organizations and pays for the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety.

“While the speakers were passionate and unfiltered, at no point did we believe additional law enforcement was necessary,” Lavelle and Mosley wrote.

In their statement, the councilmen said the sergeant at arms contacted the sheriff’s office for assistance.

Manko said sheriff’s deputies are not assigned to council meetings but are in the City-County Building to maintain security in courtrooms on the seventh and eighth floors.

Manko confirmed a radio call went out during the meeting asking for deputies to come to the fifth floor, where council chambers and the mayor’s office are located.

“Two of our deputies responded to the radio call but when they arrived, there were city police officers already on scene who told our two deputies that they were not needed,” Manko said.

Mosley told TribLive that law enforcement must strike a balance between maintaining safety and preserving openness.

“We have a ton of respect for law enforcement as well as those who serve us in City Council,” Mosley said. “They are the experts when it comes to public safety, but at the same time, we have to be committed to ensuring the people are welcome and people feel welcome when they’re in the people’s house.”

Mosley said he felt the sergeant at arms should have consulted with council members before calling for backup. Mosley said he was not aware of any formalized process that would outline when the officer should call for reinforcements or whether he should consult with council before doing so.

“Maybe that’s something we should look into in light of this situation,” Mosley said, adding he was not aware until days later that additional police presence was requested.

Mosley said he and Lavelle have not hammered out what their probe will entail or who will conduct it.

Preserving order

According to the City Code, the sergeant at arms “shall preserve order in the chambers and surrounding corridors … eject any disorderly persons as described above” and obey the council president.

Two Pittsburgh police officers typically monitor City Council meetings. One was not working Wednesday due to medical leave, Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, told TribLive.

Coghill said Svitek told him he called for more officers because people were moving behind the desks where council members sit.

“John was uncomfortable with people circling behind us,” Coghill said. “I’d rather him make that judgment call and err on the side of caution.”

Councilman Bob Charland, D-South Side, told TribLive he was unaware there had been any call for backup until he saw his colleagues’ statement.

“Our sergeants at arms do a great job keeping us safe in council chambers,” he said. “They’re constantly reminded they work for the city, not for council. But I, for one, am very thankful for having them.”

Based on observations from Coghill, Charland and a TribLive reporter covering Wednesday’s meeting, Svitek was joined by a Pittsburgh police commander who remained in council chambers for the duration of the hourslong meeting. At least one more officer was in the room for at least a portion of the session.

The meeting was interrupted when a fire alarm forced a brief evacuation of the City-County Building.

In a letter to council members, Black Political Empowerment Project Chairman and CEO Tim Stevens said he was “shocked” to learn the sergeant at arms had called for backup.

He agreed with Lavelle and Mosley that such a move was unnecessary.

“I agree too that there were indeed many passionate moments of testimony, but at NO TIME was there ANY indication that any additional law enforcement was necessary,” Stevens wrote.

Mayor Ed Gainey had held a press conference earlier that morning, during which he railed against people who criticize or threaten to defund the Stop the Violence program. His spokeswoman, Olga George, told TribLive it would become clear during the council meeting who proposed to cut funding.

No council members proposed to do so Wednesday.

During Wednesday’s meeting, council members took a preliminary vote on a measure, sponsored by Lavelle and Mosley, that would formalize guardrails around reporting for grant recipients and an advisory committee to oversee the fund.

Gainey in a statement Monday said he supported Lavelle and Mosley’s call for an investigation.

“I recognize the concern the incident may cause and (am) committed to ensuring that every resident feels respected and safe in civic spaces,” Gainey said.