Pittsburgh’s gay police chief is stopping crime and living proud (exclusive)

Pittsburgh in the late 1980s and 1990s wasn’t known as an LGBTQ+ stomping ground — regardless of what you might have seen on Queer as Folk. After I graduated from college, I worked briefly in the Pittsburgh area and usually met my friends in downtown Pittsburgh for happy hours. I would get drunk, I’d sneak away from them, and go to a gay bar. I have no idea how I found what I think was the only gay bar in the city. I couldn’t remember the name of the bar until recently. But I do know one night, I went down the wrong way on a one-way street buzzed, and a cop car, with lights blazing, met me head-on.

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Somehow, I wasn't arrested. That was my only brush with the Pittsburgh police until I spoke the department’s current leader, Larry Scirotto, who is the first out gay chief in the city’s history.

Turns out I wasn’t the only one sneaking into that gay bar 30 years ago. Chief Scirotto — who reminded me that the name of the bar was Pegasus — used to enter incognito, under a hat pulled tightly down over his head. “Then there came a point in time that I didn’t have to do that anymore,” he said with a laugh.

Scirotto, who was born and raised in the Steel City, was nominated by Mayor Ed Gainey to be the city's new police chief one year ago this month and confirmed by the City Council. He was first sworn in as a Pittsburgh police officer in 1995, and in 2018, he retired early as an assistant chief after coming up through the ranks and serving in various leadership roles in the department.

For a brief time after he left Pittsburgh, he was the police chief in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., until he was fired for allegedly promoting minority police officers above white cisgender male officers. Scirotto said he promoted those officers on merit. A lawsuit he filed against Fort Lauderdale was dismissed. He was called back to Pittsburgh by Gainey after a nationwide search.

"His deep ties to the city, inside knowledge of the bureau and his outside perspective make him the right choice to be chief of police and continue on with our right policing strategy," Gainey said at the time.

“I remember when I first started as a cop in Pittsburgh, I had a goal of becoming the chief of the department,” Scirotto recalled. “And here I am today, and I’m so grateful.”

Since Scirotto was named last May, the number of homicides has fallen by 21 percent year to date, and nonfatal shootings are down by 17 percent. He was also highly praised for his handling of student protests around the University of Pittsburgh’s campus linked to the Israel-Hamas war.

“When I left in 2018, I didn't think I was coming back, and I also didn't think I was going back into law enforcement, so when the opportunity presented itself it was life coming full circle,” Scirotto remarked. “I was super excited to get the opportunity. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime privilege that not a lot of people will get, especially a lot of people from the queer community.”

I told Scirotto that years ago, I would have never dreamed that my old stomping grounds would have a gay police chief, and when I saw the story about Scirotto, I was surprised, partly because my memories of Pittsburgh were of a place that wasn’t very accepting.

“I always thought Pittsburgh was rather welcoming. It had been for me,” Scirotto said. “I was the first out gay male police officer, and I didn't have any unpleasant experiences, and I always felt very supported. In fact, the department is preparing to hire its first transgender officer.”

Scirotto’s love affair with law enforcement began when he was in his teens. “No one in my family worked in this profession, but I was always intrigued. And one day, there were some police officers driving down the street I lived on, and they decided to get out and talk to a group of kids I was with. And I stayed forever connected with those officers, even to this day. I always think about how important that one moment was in my life. For them, it was just part of the day, but it was such a big deal to me and where I'm at today.”

During those formative years, Scirotto didn't know another gay person, and he grew up terrified that someone would find out that he was different. It was upon his first visit to Pegasus that Scirotto first interacted with the queer community. “I met this guy and was like, ‘Whoa, another person my age who was somebody like me.’ And, then I just looked around and felt at home and over time made friendships, lifelong friendships that I even have today.”

Then it got to a point where Scirotto was able to leave his decoy hat at home. “You had to pass a police officer at the door before you walked down those stairs into the bar. Eventually, I just got a lot more comfortable with the community and got more comfortable being myself. And then that hat didn't matter anymore. And I quit wearing it, and here I am today.”

Growing up without any queer role models, Scirotto is fully aware of how important representation is within the city of Pittsburgh. “I understand how impactful the role where I sit today is for that 18-year-old kid that otherwise doesn't see a gay executive in charge of a police department. We have obviously done well in other roles, but this is still one of the professions that don't have that level of representation throughout its ranks, but especially in its senior leadership, but I am sure that will continue to change,” he said.

Scirotto said he and his partner of 13 years and their two dogs feel at home in Pittsburgh.

“We've been very open, and Pittsburghers have been receptive to us and the queer community. Clearly, there’s always more work to be done, and part of my job is to make sure that the police department is an inclusive and welcoming place for anyone who wants to enter law enforcement.”

And Scirotto offered some words of wisdom for anyone who might be struggling with their sexuality, as he did. “Keep your head up! The world in which you think you live is much different when you get outside of the world in which you live. There are lots of people that accept you for who you are and will welcome you for who you are.”

“I am always so appreciative of those that have actually struggled, those before someone like me, who were the pioneers and were ahead of their time and sacrificed so much,” he added. “I just hope to be that for the next generation, and I'm telling that 17-year-old that I'm fighting for them so that this level of representation is available for you someday.”

Scirotto advises to always take pride in who you are. “Never be ashamed of who you are. And you'll do great things and you can do great things. And then when you think that nobody cares and the world isn't watching, just remember that somebody is out there fighting for you.”