Oversight of Scirotto’s officiating as Florida police chief raises concerns among officials in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh police chief Larry Scirotto continues to court controversy for his side hustle as an NCAA basketball referee by dribbling the ball.

It was three years ago He was the subject of an audit related to his duties while leading the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., police department.

The auditor alleged that Scirotto double-crossed, working as a chef in Fort Lauderdale while also being paid to referee and attend games.

But the auditor was fired, his report went nowhere, and on Thursday Scirotto dismissed the report as politically motivated.

“No comment on his hit,” he told TribLive. “I won’t explain.”

Now, Scirotto is once again under scrutiny for his arbitration, and two Pittsburgh City Council members told TribLive they were unhappy because they didn’t know anything about the audit when they voted to confirm Scirotto as Pittsburgh’s chief last year.

“Shouldn’t this be shared? Shouldn’t we know this?” asked Councilman Anthony Coghill, who chairs the public safety committee. “(The audit) obviously makes me very worried – and I’m sure it does for my colleagues too.”

Whistleblower complaint

Scirotto said he and Mayor Ed Gainey agreed not to arbitrate after he was hired in Pittsburgh following a national search for a new police chief.

This agreement lasted less than 18 months.

Last week, the issue of Scirotto moonlighting arose again when he said he and Gainey had agreed that he would return to officiate sideline for up to 65 games a season after taking a break from the ballpark.

This immediately led to condemnation from the police union and questions from Coghill, D-Beechview: “Do you want to be a referee or do you want to be a police chief?”

The Fort Lauderdale investigation, conducted by a veteran city auditor. a whistleblower.

Auditor John Herbst accused Scirotto of violating police department policy regarding officiating.

Fort Lauderdale fired Herbst in February 2022 for allegedly conducting a “rogue investigation” before officially completing his employment.

The auditor, a 16-year veteran of the Fort Lauderdale government, declined to discuss his report with TribLive.

Scirotto was fired after two weeks For an unrelated matter regarding allegations that he discriminated against white police officers in the department by promoting minority candidates.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantolis on Thursday defended Scirotto, who failed to sue the city for $10 million after he was fired.

“Larry was a very hopeful person,” Trantolis told TribLive. “He came up with some great ideas… and that’s why I think a lot of the ‘old guard’ is trying to push back.”

Trantolis confirmed that there was no investigation into Scirotto following Herbst’s firing.

But a second Fort Lauderdale leader told TribLive he stands behind Herbst and his work.

“John was doing his job 100% right,” former Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Heather Moraitis, who resigned in 2022, told TribLive. “I have great respect for him and appreciate that he is overseeing this entire situation to determine if there was anything wrong.”

“I believe the police chief of a major city should only have one job,” Moraitis added.

surprising expressions

On Thursday, Gainey’s administration continued to stonewall TribLive’s questions about the audit and whether it was part of the review process of the national search committee that recommended Scirotto.

However, Gainey made confusing statements about Scirotto.

He said Scirotto approached him last week that he “should probably quit his position to pursue this part-time umpiring job.”

Scirotto, who earns $185,400 this year, heads a department of 750 people.

Gainey, who visited the homeless shelter Thursday morning, said Scirotto plans to take the youth with him on his officiating trips. The mayor declined to elaborate or answer any questions.

Scirotto did not respond to questions about Gainey’s comments.

Pittsburgh police Deputy Chief Chris Ragland will assume the deputy chief role to take control of the bureau while Scirotto goes to arbitration, according to the chief.

Scirotto said he will take a pay cut next year to offset Ragland’s salary increase.

It is unclear how much Scirotto will earn per match. Top college conferences pay referees up to $3,000 per game, According to Slate And South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Scirotto was hired in 2023 after Pittsburgh approved a contract. Pay up to $80,000 to a consulting firm in California.

At the time, then-council leader Theresa Kail-Smith abstained from a preliminary vote on the measure due to concerns that her council area was being excluded from public participation on the issue.

On Thursday, Kail-Smith offered a measured response to the turmoil surrounding Scirotto.

“I think this is a conversation that needs to happen between the mayor and the chief, the City Council and the director of public safety,” Kail-Smith said. “We have to make sure that the work we do is in the public interest.”

Search committee members Confidentiality agreements were signed with the municipality. Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said in May 2023 that the process to select a police chief “is not actually a public process.”

Scirotto was one of three finalists for this job.

Police union steps in

Robert Swartzwelder, president of the union that represents rank-and-file Pittsburgh police officers, called the audit “problematic,” he learned Thursday from TribLive.

Fort Lauderdale’s foreign employment policies outlined in the audit appear similar to what Pittsburgh, Swartzwelder and others told TribLive.

Swartzwelder said he was not notified about the audit when he and other Fraternal Order of Police members formed a panel to interview police chief candidates.

“Who knows, when?” Swartzwelder said. “There was no information available to the FOP delegation regarding this audit or any investigation being conducted.”

City Controller Rachael Heisler expressed concerns Thursday about both the audit, which she didn’t know existed, and Scirotto’s agreement with the mayor to return to work while serving as Pittsburgh’s chief.

“We still don’t have all the details,” Heisler said.

He said the controller’s office must ensure that any employment agreement “is fiscally responsible and, most importantly, will not have a negative impact on either public safety or the morale of an already overburdened police force.”

Staff writer Julia Burdelski contributed to this report.