In a wide-ranging conversation, Chief McLay told members about his familial connections to Pittsburgh (his father was an Alcoa executive), his decades in police work and how they resulted in his hire in September 2014. He acknowledged that before he arrived the bureau had weathered “some rough seas” with the indictment of his predecessor, and went on to share his thoughts about how to build a police force that is both effective and accountable to the communities it serves. 
Among other comments, the chief advocated for first building trust and accountability internally within the bureau, calling for building “dispersed ethical leadership.” He noted, “By transforming [internal bureau] organizational leadership systems, you can better serve the community.” He pointed out Pittsburgh’s assets – its civic pride and resilience -- and also described some of its challenges, including outdated civil service regulations that govern hiring practices.
Operating the bureau on a more data-driven basis is one of the chief’s priorities. Work now underway at Allegheny County Department of Human Services will soon benefit the bureau: the Chief and the county plan to partner on using predictive analytics. As Fred Thieman pointed out, this partnership is a by-product of the close collaboration between the Mayor, the County Executive and their staffs. Once improved use of data and predictive analytics is underway, it will enable the bureau to deploy its resources on a preventive basis, where they will have the most impact.
GWP members raised a number of questions, ranging from how to police officers are trained to handle people with mental health issues, to ways to increase diversity in the police force.
Asked for the results he wants to see when he looks back in five to ten years, the Chief named:
- Reducing violent crime and related disorder
- How safe people feel in their communities (which he distinguished from the actual incidence of crime)
- How those working inside the bureau feel about the integrity of the police bureau
In a recent op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the chief wrote, “Police reform is community reform. It is social-justice reform. And we all must join in.” That includes the philanthropy community. GWP looks forward to supporting its members as they help to address the challenges of reducing violent crime and increasing public safety.