Pittsburgh Police Chief speaks on decision to officiate basketball games

Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto has taken to the KDKA Radio airwaves to defend his decision to referee basketball games again.

When he accepted the position of police chief last May, Larry Scirotto told Mayor Ed Gainey that he would no longer pursue his dream of refereeing college basketball games.

But on Thursday in a statement, Scirotto confirmed the mayor is releasing him from his pledge, allowing him to referee once again.

His second-in-command, Assistant Chief Chris Ragland will execute decisions and respond to emergencies for those few hours Scirotto will be officiating.

On Friday, Scirotto told Marty Griffin on KDKA Radio that he was willing to step down.

“I promised that I would not be a distraction to the mayor or this police department, that if officiating was such a conflict and I couldn’t do my job as they expected, as this city deserves, then it would be best for me to retire,” said Scirotto.

But he says he and Gainey agreed that should not be the case, and that as long as Scirotto's passion for the city and his fellow officers hasn't changed, then he should be able to remain as chief.

Scirotto says if officiating affects the way he is able to do his job, he will reevaluate then.

Mayor Gainey released the following statement on Thursday, after the announcement:

My priority has and will always be the safety and well being of every resident in Pittsburgh. When Chief Larry Scirotto approached us about possibly needing to step down from his role in order to pursue this part-time refereeing gig, I said there must be a better way. He’s too good, and we are making too much progress, not to keep up the fight.

I stand by the tremendous progress Chief Scirotto and the force are making on community policing, reducing violent crime, diversifying the rank and file, and keeping us safe.

I’m excited for Chief Scirotto.
I’m excited for the kids, who will be exposed to new and exciting opportunities that showcase the transformative power that sports can have. Thinking outside of the box has allowed us to strengthen and modernize our Bureau of Police, and we’re excited to see where this initiative takes us."