In a move steering Pittsburgh's law enforcement future, Mayor-elect Corey O'Connor has designated Jason Lando, a former city officer, now the Police Chief in Frederick, Maryland, as the proposed head of the Pittsburgh Police Bureau. Lando's nomination, initially shared with WTAE yesterday, was formally confirmed today by O'Connor's administration.
Lando, who previously ascended to the leadership of Pittsburgh's Zone 5, is returning to a bureau he knows well. During the last mayoral race, O'Connor, who secured his position against former police officer Tony Moreno, had pledged to select a chief with intimate knowledge of the city. His decision to nominate Lando bypasses a broader national search in favor of swift action, reflecting O'Connor's urgency in addressing the department's critical needs, which include boosting morale and surmounting staffing challenges, as noted in the report by WTAE.
O'Connor's decision aligns with his vision of fostering improved relations between the police force and the community. "I am thrilled an happy that our nominee has accepted and I think you'll see that Chief Lando is somebody that we wanted, somebody that we need right now in the City of Pittsburgh, somebody that cares about the community, understands that policing is not just making arrests and solving crimes, but somebody that believes in community policing which is something that I believe in,” O'Connor shared in an interview reported by Audacy.
