Cameron McLay
| Cameron McLay | |
|---|---|
| Police career | |
| Department | Pittsburgh Police |
| Years of service | September 15, 2014–November 8, 2016 |
| Rank |
 - ChiefSeptember 15, 2014–November 8, 2016 |
Cameron McLay was the Pittsburgh Police Chief beginning September 15, 2014. He announced his resignation during a press conference on November 4, 2016. His last day as chief was November 8, 2016.
McLay was formerly a consultant for the International Association of Chiefs of Police and was a former Police Captain in Madison, Wisconsin. McLay started his law enforcement career as an officer for Indiana University.
Cameron McLay was hired as chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police on September 15, 2014. He was hired to bring needed reforms to a police agency in turmoil.
The preceding chief, Nathan Harper, had been indicted for corruption. There was an on-going investigation into the Police Bureau by federal authorities, and there were serious trust challenges between Pittsburgh Police and city's black community as a result of controversial use of force incidents involving unarmed young black men. At this same time, Pittsburgh was experiencing record levels of retaliatory gun violence.
McLay was hired by Mayor Bill Peduto and charged with implementing data-driven, community-oriented policing; building public trust through improved accountability and improving police morale by restoring the integrity of the Police Bureau leadership systems and developing it future leaders.
McLay's strategy was to create a values-based culture and build internal integrity by training and implementing a model of dispersed ethical leadership to improve Police Bureau effectiveness through implementation of research based best practices, and to create strong partnerships with the community. McLay said of his initial evaluation of the police department, "This is a way better place than most critics may realize."
McLay's brief tenure as chief focused on improving relations between police and the community, and instituting his own reforms to adopt a community policing philosophy. Working with local and federal officials, McLay was able to secure Pittsburgh's selection as one of six pilot cities for the President Obama's National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice. This program brought support for Pittsburgh in the form of police training in procedural justice and implicit bias; support for community building efforts; community and internal surveys, and assistance with work in racial reconciliation with the City's communities of color, youth and LGBTQI community.
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