A spokesman for Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor called retired Commander Dominic J. Costa a “strong candidate” for police chief, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Costa left the Pittsburgh force after he was wounded during a 2002 standoff. Spokesman Dick Skrinjar said O’Connor would make his choice known by the end of next week. Last month, Costa formally notified the Policemen’s Relief and Pension Fund for the City of Pittsburgh that he wants to return to duty.
If Costa returns to Pittsburgh, he would give up his monthly pension of $3,736 from the city, as well as his $75,000 salary from a public safety job in Penn Hills, Pa.. The Pittsburgh police chief makes $92,285 per year. Skrinjar said the mayor wants to “streamline” the police force. “We want to get more cops on the street. We want to eliminate bureaucracy. We want to make the streets safer. You don’t do that behind a desk. You don’t do that with layers of bosses,” Skrinjar said.