Officials: 5 Pittsburgh police officers terminated after months-long investigation into death of Jim Rogers

Five Pittsburgh police officers were terminated as a result of their actions leading up to the death of Jim Rogers last year, though city officials on Wednesday offered scant information into the investigation and the decision-making process.

Eight officers were recommended for discipline following the ultimately fatal interactions with Rogers in October 2021.

Five officers, said Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt, “will no longer be employed by the city.” Three officers have been reinstated, he said.

The officers have 14 days to indicate whether they will accept the discipline or fight it in arbitration.

Neither Schmidt nor Mayor Ed Gainey would name the five officers who were let go, nor did they elaborate on what differentiated the actions of the three reinstated officers from the five who were fired.

Rogers, a 54-year-old homeless man, was tased at least eight times within three minutes and 15 seconds the morning of Oct. 13 after police were called to Harriet Street in Bloomfield for a report of a bicycle that had been taken.

The executive summary of the internal police Critical Incident Review Board report, obtained by the Tribune-Review in December, indicated that Rogers begged for help in the backseat of a police vehicle for 17 minutes. He was eventually transported to UPMC Mercy but was unresponsive upon arrival. He died the following day.

On Wednesday afternoon, Rogers’ family said that they are not satisfied.

“The family acknowledges five officers have been fired. But from the beginning, we have been pressing for criminal charges for all of these officers,” they said in a statement. “That has always been the demand.”

District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., in February, decided to submit the case to the investigating grand jury, which is ongoing.

Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert noted that the process played out as it should, with police brass making recommendations and the city taking it from there.

He declined further comment, citing the city’s collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing Pittsburgh police officers.

Robert Swartzwelder, president of that union, said they will appeal any and all discipline in the case.

He declined to speak in detail about the investigation and its outcome, citing the ongoing grand jury investigation into the officers’ actions.

Mayor Ed Gainey announcing results of internal investigation into death of Jim Rogers https://t.co/CbuhBPiWge

— Megan Guza (@meganguzaTrib) March 23, 2022

During his brief news conference, Gainey offered his “heart and prayers” to the Rogers family but said he had not yet spoken with them as of the 2 p.m. event.

“Mr. Rogers deserved to live a life of joy,” Gainey said. “He deserved to live a long one. And he didn’t deserve to lose it at the hands of police officers.”

Speaking to detractors who have criticized the length of time it took to mete out discipline, Gainey said the process behind these types of decisions is an important one.

“I did not want to do anything to threaten the effective outcome or do anything to violate this process,” he said.

Devon Adwoa, who has served as a spokesperson for the Rogers family, criticized the mayor’s statement on Wednesday — particularly in refusing to identify the officers involved.

“The process serves the police and not the community,” Adwoa said. “It protects the police officers because they refuse to release their names.

“There’s no transparency in that.”

Gainey presented himself as someone who would take office and challenge the status quo, Adwoa said.

“What status quo has been challenged if for three months of Gainey’s term, he’s said nothing?” she asked.

Gainey only made his statement, she continued, after Rogers’ supporters approached him Tuesday during an event in Homewood to discuss public safety.

Attorney Robert Del Greco, who represents Officer Gregory Boss, confirmed on Wednesday that his client has lost his job.

“We are sorely disappointed in the administration’s termination,” Del Greco said. “He is a nurturing parent, a doting husband, very active in the community. He’s a 22-year veteran police officer with an impeccable and immaculate record.

“I think the citizens of Pittsburgh have been deprived of an excellent public servant.”

According to the summary of the Critical Incident Review Board, Boss and Officer Patrick Desaro arrived after the tasing and helped handcuff Rogers. They then transported him to UPMC Mercy, with Desaro driving and Boss riding in the front passenger seat.

Rogers, who was in the back seat, asked for help at 10:57 a.m., then slumped over a few minutes later, the summary said. By the time they reached the hospital, Rogers was unresponsive. CPR began at 11:15 a.m.

Attorney Lee Rothman, who represents Desaro, declined to comment on Wednesday.

Councilwoman Deb Gross, whose district includes Bloomfield, where Rogers’ interaction with police started, said she was pleased to hear of the disciplinary outcome, noting she believes the five terminations are in line with what the Rogers family has previously said they wanted.

“They really wanted to see the city take some disciplinary action,” she said. “This was a positive direction from the city — to take action when officers are not fulfilling their duty.”

Gross said she did not know why officials were not naming the officers involved. She said the three who are keeping their jobs will have to undergo retraining, though she didn’t know what that retraining entailed.

Councilman the Rev. Ricky Burgess, an outspoken supporter of police reform, praised the discipline process as “quick and transparent.” The goal now, he said, should be to “move forward to reimagine police … and to increase community confidence in policing.”

Beth Pittinger, the executive director of the Citizen Police Review Board, disagreed with Burgess’ assessment.

“I don’t think it was quick or transparent,” she said.

Pittinger said that the community was forced to wait for the medical examiner’s office to issue its findings — which happened on Jan. 3 — and then forced to wait again as Zappala made the decision to take the case to the investigating grand jury.

Pittinger acknowledged that there was a mayoral transition during that time, and a change of public safety leadership.

Still, she wondered, “Why is this so slow?”

“I don’t know what they’re doing, and I’m frustrated by that. It seems like there’s a lot of smoke and mirrors going on.”

The disciplinary process for the officers began in late December.