Former Pittsburgh assistant police chief Larry Scirotto has been fired from his new role as Chief of Police in Fort Lauderdale after an internal investigation alleges that he focused too much on the diversity of the department. Scirotto, who is gay and was well known to the LGBTQ Community of Pittsburgh, served 23 years with the Pittsburgh Police Department. In his final role with the Pittsburgh Police, Scirotto was assistant chief in the Office of Professional Standards, overseeing internal investigations, policy, and training.
The Associated Press reports that Fort Lauderdale City Manager Chris Lagerbloom terminated Scirotto as the Chief of Police of Fort Lauderdale after an internal investigation report alleged that Scirotto made hiring and promotion decisions in an “improper minority-first” approach.
In the report, incidents of an unfair focus on minority candidates were noted. In one incident, Mr. Scirotto described a wall of photos in the police department conference room as “too white.” Additionally, the report quoted Scirotto as saying he would “consider diversity at every opportunity.”
“If promoting diversity is the hill I’m going to die on, I will sleep well tonight,” Mr. Scirotto told CNN in an interview on Sunday.
Scirotto plans to file a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city.