Mayor Bill Peduto Demands Action On Investigation Into Death Of Jim Rogers, Man Tased By Pittsburgh Police
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Two months after a 54-year-old man was tased by Pittsburgh police and later died, Mayor Bill Peduto is putting his foot down.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office has not released a cause of death for Jim Rogers, leaving his family without closure.
On Thursday, the mayor said before he leaves office, actions must be taken. He told KDKA that he requested the process of bringing disciplinary action against those involved in the tasing to begin before he leaves.
Peduto said this process has multiple steps and would have to include the police union. He said the commander of Zone 5 would first need to make the recommendation. Then this will pass through several other people before reaching the director of Pittsburgh Public Safety.
The mayor added that the city has been investigating its policies involving the police, and he said improvements need to be made.
"I wanted to be assured that the disciplinary process had already begun, and we would be able to present to the public areas we saw in this incident where we could be better, where we could provide to the public changes in policies and programs where this type of incident would either not happen in the future or would be minimized," Peduto said.
Peduto is unsure how long the process will take or whether it will bleed into the Gainey administration.
Meanwhile, he said the city has been cooperating with the DA's office and has been providing all necessary materials to push the Rogers case forward.
