Scrutiny of Scirotto's refereeing as Florida police chief raises concerns with officials in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto continues to find himself in controversy because of his sideline as an NCAA basketball referee.

Three years ago he was The subject of an audit into his work as chief of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Police Department.

The auditor alleged that Scirotto performed double duty – he was paid to work as a boss in Fort Lauderdale while also refereeing and traveling to games.

But the auditor was fired, his report was never made public and on Thursday Scirotto dismissed it as politically motivated.

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

Now Scirotto is once again under scrutiny for his refereeing, and two members of the Pittsburgh City Council told TribLive they were unhappy that they didn't know about the audit when they voted to confirm Scirotto as Pittsburgh's boss last year.

“Shouldn’t this have been shared? “Shouldn’t we have known?” asked Councilman Anthony Coghill, who chairs the Public Safety Committee. “(The audit) is obviously very concerning to me – and certainly to my colleagues as well.”

Whistleblower complaint

When Scirotto was hired in Pittsburgh following a nationwide search for a new police chief, he said he and Mayor Ed Gainey agreed he would not serve as an arbitrator.

This agreement had a term of less than 18 months.

Last week, the issue of Scirotto's part-time job resurfaced when he said he and Gainey had agreed that he would return to officiating up to 65 games per season on the court after his hiatus from the basketball court.

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

The Fort Lauderdale investigation, conducted by an experienced city auditor, was initiated by a whistleblower.

auditor John Herbst accused Scirotto of violating police policy regarding his refereeing.

Fort Lauderdale fired Herbst in February 2022, before he had officially completed his job, saying he had conducted a “rogue investigation.”

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

Scirotto was fired two weeks later on an unrelated matter involving 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 unsuccessfully sued the city for $10 million after he was fired.

“Larry was a very promising person,” Trantolis told TribLive. “He came with some great ideas … and for that reason I think a lot of the 'old guard' tried to fight back.”

Trantolis confirmed that no investigation was opened against Scirotto following Herbst's dismissal.

However, a second Fort Lauderdale leader told TribLive she stands behind Herbst and his work.

“John did his job 100% right,” former Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Heather Moraitis, who resigned in 2022, told TribLive. “I have the highest respect for him and appreciate his review of the entire situation … to determine whether there was any wrongdoing.”

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

Mysterious statements

On Thursday, the Gainey administration continued to stall, ignoring or refusing to answer TribLive's questions about the audit and whether it was part of the national selection committee's review process that recommended Scirotto.

However, Gainey has made cryptic statements about Scirotto.

He said last week that Scirotto had contacted him and informed him that he “may have to resign from his position in order to pursue this part-time refereeing role.”

Scirotto, who makes $185,400 this year, leads a department of 750 officers.

During a tour of a homeless shelter Thursday morning, Gainey said Scirotto plans to take youth with him on his refereeing trips. The mayor declined to elaborate or answer questions.

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

Pittsburgh Deputy Police Chief Chris Ragland will assume the role of deputy chief and assume control of the office when Scirotto travels to referee, the police chief said.

Scirotto said he will take a pay cut next year to offset Ragland's raise.

It's unclear how much Scirotto will earn per game. According to Slate and the South Florida Sun Sentinel, top college conferences pay referees up to $3,000 per game.

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

At the time, then-Council President Theresa Kail-Smith abstained from a preliminary vote on the measure because she feared her council district had been excluded from public input on the matter.

On Thursday, Kail-Smith gave a measured response to the current furore surrounding Scirotto.

“I think this is a conversation between the mayor and chief, the city council and the public safety director that needs to happen,” Kail-Smith said. “We need to be sure that what we are doing is in the best interest of the public.”

Members of the search committee signed confidentiality agreements with the city. Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said in May 2023 that the process of selecting a police chief is “not a truly public process.”

Scirotto was one of three finalists for the job.

Police union speaks out

Robert Swartzwelder, the head of the union that represents rank-and-file officers in the Pittsburgh Police Department, called the audit, which he learned about Thursday from TribLive, “problematic.”

Swartzwelder and others told TribLive that Fort Lauderdale's policies regarding outside employment outlined in the audit are similar to Pittsburgh's.

Swartzwelder said he was not informed of the review when he and other members of the Fraternal Order of Police staffed a panel to interview candidates for police chief.

“Who knew what and when?” Swartzwelder said. “There was no information available to the FOP panel regarding this audit or that any investigation was conducted.”

Councilwoman Rachael Heisler expressed concerns Thursday about both the audit, which she also didn't know existed, and Scirotto's agreement with the mayor to be allowed to serve again during his term as Pittsburgh's chief.

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

She said the comptroller's office must ensure that any labor arrangement “is financially responsible and, most importantly, that it does not negatively impact public safety or the morale of an already overburdened police force.”

Staff writer Julia Burdelski contributed to this report.