Kaitlyn Hughes | news editor

Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor selected Jason Lando, a 21-year Pittsburgh police veteran, as the next chief of police.

“I think you’ll see that Chief Lando is somebody that we’ve 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 crime,” O’Connor said as he introduced his pick during a news conference on Thursday.

Lando, a Pittsburgh native, has served as the head of Frederick Police Department in Maryland since 2021. If his nomination is approved by Pittsburgh City Council, he will become chief of the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania.

Lando said he will focus on violent crime reduction, specifically in Downtown and the South Side.

“Once I hit the ground, that’s going to be one of the big priorities,” Lando said.

South Side, which is a part of Zone 3, was the site of unruly bar crowds over the summer and is a popular neighborhood for Duquesne students.

Zone 3 Commander Jeffery Abraham said that the police officers overseeing the area have worked to reduce violent crime by seizing guns from people and developing relationships in the South Side community.

Abraham said he will work with Lando to get him up to speed on the protocols they take to reduce violent crime in the area.

Another key area for Lando is community engagement.

He said he wants to go beyond one-time community events and instead build connections with residents in the city, so they are comfortable when they see a police car and are willing to work with authorities after a crime.

“Building meaningful relationships in the community is the only way we are going to be successful in the police department,” Lando said.

He worked on community engagement during his time as a Pittsburgh police officer, specifically through the youth connections program. This initiative brought officers into schools and libraries to have conversations with kids.

Brandi Fisher, founder and CEO of the Alliance for Police Accountability in Pittsburgh, said that community engagement is what brings officials and residents together.

“[It] makes people want to feel close to you,” Fisher said.

Fisher also said that she hopes Lando would operate as far from the federal administration as possible when it comes to policing by not complying with the National Guard and not partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We must rely on our local values, collective leadership and center the humanity of the residents of the City of Pittsburgh and not adopt the biased and racially charged practices of this current federal administration when it comes to law enforcement,” she said.

Lando also said he hopes to work with police forces at universities throughout the region by creating a group where they can come together on a regular basis to discuss issues.

There is currently a Pittsburgh Council of Higher Education campus police chiefs working group, and Chief of Duquesne Police Eric Holmes said he would invite Lando to a meeting in early 2026.

“Duquesne University Public Safety Department has a great working relationship with the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police,” said Holmes, who worked with Lando for 25 years during his time as commander and chief of staff for the force. “I am confident that positive relationship will continue under the leadership of Chief Lando.”

Dedicated to Pittsburgh

Lando, 48, grew up in Squirrel Hill and attended services at Tree of Life Congregation.

He found himself taking command at that same synagogue in 2018 when a gunman opened fire killing 11 worshipers. He led the effort to capture gunman Robert Bowers in what would become the worst antisimetic attack in U.S. history. In 2019, he received the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Leadership Award for his response.

During his 21 years with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Lando served as commander of narcotics & vice and was the commander of the East End’s Zone 5. He also served as a sergeant and lieutenant with an undercover narcotics detective unit, SWAT operator, crisis negotiator and tactical negotiation team administrator.

Abraham worked under Lando as a police officer while he was lieutenant of Zone 3. He said Lando was a great mentor who always offered guidance to officers.

“It would be an honor to work for him again,” Abraham said.

Todd McCollum, chairman of the City of Pittsburgh Republican Committee, worked with Lando during his 11 years as a Pittsburgh police officer. He said he hopes to see Lando work toward reducing drug activity and homelessness Downtown, as well as diminishing the bar crowds in the South Side.

“Lando is a highly competent individual who would most likely do a good job in his role if he’s not held back by policy restraints and politics,” McCollum said.

Lando was one of three finalists in the national search for a police chief which was conducted under Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration in 2023.

Larry Scirotto, a long-time police officer in the city, was chosen over Lando. Scirotto retired less than two years later after controversy over his decision to referee college basketball.

Five people have led the police bureau during Gainey’s time as mayor, which made selecting a new chief of police one of O’Connor’s top priorities.

Although Fisher understood why bringing in this leadership was an urgent task for O’Connor, she said she wished his decision would have gone in front of a community panel first.

“I think for too long we have not had a chief of police in Pittsburgh that was actually dedicated to Pittsburgh,” O’Connor said. “We wanted to name a full-time chief of police immediately because public safety is a major priority of our administration, and it’s our job to protect our residents.

“We had to make a decision and make it quick, but all those community members have a voice.”

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu