Pittsburgh police must release to a citizen review board documents related to officer conduct during last year's Group of 20 economic summit, an Allegheny County judge ruled Thursday.
Senior Common Pleas Judge R. Stanton Wettick ordered Chief Nate Harper to comply with a request from the Citizen Police Review Board to turn over the reports for its investigation of how police dealt with protesters during the Sept. 24-25 summit.
"We're certainly pleased with the ruling," board Executive Director Elizabeth Pittinger said. "This will give the board the other side of the story — how police were deployed without being jaded or biased by public opinion."
The city and police officials argued since November the board doesn't have the authority to review the documents because the request doesn't stem from individual complaints, and some of the information could jeopardize national security.
Assistant City Solicitor John Doherty declined to comment on Wettick's ruling, saying he had not yet reviewed it. Police spokeswoman Diane Richard referred calls to the law office. A spokeswoman for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl did not return a call.
"(The ruling) legitimizes the purpose of the board," Pittinger said. "The purpose of the Citizen Police Review Board is that the public wanted an independent body to review things. It's been an ongoing dispute with administrations no matter who it is."
Wettick wrote that if the city believes certain documents can't be turned over because they're protected by federal law, officials should prepare a "log which identifies each document and sets forth the basis for the claim that the document cannot be produced."
The board asked for a roster of officers who worked, their locations and training records, and incident and arrest reports, among other items. The board plans to use the information to evaluate the tactics officers used for crowd control and the policies and procedures of the police bureau, Pittinger has said.
Police made nearly 200 arrests as thousands of protesters marched the streets. Protesters clashed with police in several neighborhoods, causing some riots and about $50,000 in property damage. The review board received 12 sworn complaints against officers and 73 notifications that people intended to file complaints, Pittinger has said.
Judge: Pittsburgh police must provide G-20 reports |