TribLIVE s Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese on Monday called for the resignation of police Chief Howard Burton over the hiring of a police officer under investigation in the shooting death of Romir Talley in Wilkinsburg.
Calabrese said it is time for accountability in the hiring of former Wilkinsburg Officer Robert Gowans in May.
“Something happened here that was botched no matter what perspective you look at it from,” she said.
Gowans is under investigation in the shooting death of Talley, 24, on Dec. 22, 2019, in Wilkinsburg. Gowans was on duty as a Wilkinsburg officer at the time. Allegheny County police say that Wilkinsburg police, in response to a 911 call, were in pursuit of Talley and that he fired one round at an unidentified police officer who returned fire.
Tanisha Thomas | Tribune-Review
Signs displaying the face of former police officer Robert Gowans were brought to a May 17 rally to protest his hiring.
TribLIVE s Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
After Penn Hills reversed course on the hiring of former Wilkinsburg officer Robert Gowans to its police department, Penn Hills Manager Scott Andrejchak said he regrets approving the hiring in the first place.
“I made a bad call,” Andrejchak said. “There were things that were overlooked.”
Penn Hills council held an emergency meeting May 17 that resulted in letting Gowans go after facing backlash from the community over his hiring in April.
Dillon Carr | Tribune-Review
TribLIVE s Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.
Penn Hills council hired a financial firm March 15 to appraise its sewer system despite concerns voiced by the mayor that the municipality is “on a frightening path.”
Council voted 3-2 in favor of hiring Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management (PFM) to look into how much the municipality’s sewer system is worth. Mayor Pauline Calabrese and councilman Frank Pecora dissented.
PFM will do the work for a one-time fee of $8,000 plus expenses, such as meals and travel, which have been capped at $500.