| Pittsburgh Police Chief | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
since March 4, 2025 | |
| Pittsburgh Bureau of Police | |
| Appointer | Mayor of Pittsburgh |
The Pittsburgh Police Chief is an American law enforcement official who serves as the head of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, appointed by the Mayor of Pittsburgh. The Chief is a sworn law enforcement officer, and was historically referred to as the Police Superintendent as well as Chief, both titles having the same authority and meaning.
| No. | Chief | Appointed by | Start | End | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Morrison | 1794 | [1] | ||||
| John B. Gray | 1815 | 1826 (p68) | [2] Page 53 | |||
| 1 | Matthew J. Green | McCarthy | 1868 | 1869 | 1 year | [3] |
| 2 | Robert Hague | Brush | 1869 | 1872 | 3 years | |
| 3 | John Irwin | Blackmore | 1872 | 1875 | 3 years | |
| 4 | James McCandless | McCarthy | 1875 | 1876 | 1 year | |
| 5 | W. M. Hartzell | McCarthy | 1876 | 1877 | 1 year | |
| 6 | Philip Demmel | McCarthy | 1877 | 1878 | 1 year | |
| 7 | Robert Hague | Liddell | 1878 | 1879 | 1 year | |
| 8 | J. P. Heisel | Lyon | 1881 | 1883 | 2 years | |
| 9 | G. L. Braun or L. G. Brown | Fulton | 1884 | 1884 | 1 year | |
| 10 | T. A. Blackmore | Fulton | 1885 | 1886 | 1 year | Was a "viewer" clerk in 1892. [4] |
| 11 | Nathan S. Brokaw | Fulton | 1887 | 1887 | 1 year | |
| 12 | Roger O'Mara | McCallin | 1889 (Feb 23-Mar 10) | 1896 (March 6) | 6 years 362 days | aug. 1892, [5] June 24, 1894 was arrested with Public Safety Dir. [6] makes 2,400/year |
| 13 | A. H. Leslie | Ford | 1896 (August 1) | 1901 (October 1) | 5 years 61 days | Jul 1 1899 [7] Jul 8 1901 or before [8] |
| 14 | Soloman Coulson | Diehl | 1900 | [7] was asst. super jul 1899; | ||
| 15 | A. H. Leslie | Ford | 1896 (August 1) | 1901 (October 1) | Jul 1 1899 [7] Jul 8 1901 or before [8] | |
| 16 | Gamble Weir | mayor | 1901? | |||
| 17 | Roger O'Mara | Diehl | 1901 (Jan 14) | 1901 (Sep 10) | 240 days | |
| 18 | John McAleese | mayor | by Feb. 3 1902 [9] | Previously warden of the Allegheny county jail; in 1911 lived in Fay, Lawrence Co. [10] | ||
| 19 | John P. McTighe | Brown | March 5, 1903 was under consideration [11] | [12] [13] hats, 400 officers | ||
| 20 | Bernard McStay | Hays | early 1904 | 1904 (April 30) [14] | ||
| 21 | Alexander W. "Buck" Wallace | Hays | 1904 (April 30) [14] | June 1906 [15] | [16] [17] ran for alderman 1908 [18] big bio, [19] ran a saloon, [15] lived with sister & denied pay cause "out of towner", [20] brother died aug. 1904 | |
| 22 | Thomas A. McQuaide | Guthrie | 1906 | 1914 [21] | [22] joined 1886 chief of detectives 1903, chief 1906-? 3 mayors [23] [24] | |
| 23 | Noble Matthews | Armstrong | 1914 | 1918 | [21] | |
| 24 | Robert J. Alderdice | Babcock | 1918 [21] | 1921 [21] | [25] [26] | |
| 25 | Davis | Babcock | 1919 (September 28) | 1921? | ||
| 26 | Thomas F. Carroll | Babcock | 1921 (June 11?) | 1921 (August 17?) | [27] [28] | |
| 27 | John C. Calhoun | Magee | 1922 (April 13) | 1922 (September 5) | [29] | |
| 28 | Edward N. Jones | Magee | 1923 (June 17) | 1923 (November) | [30] | |
| 29 | Edward J. Brophy | Magee | 1923 (November 18) | 1926 (Spring) | [31] | |
| 30 | Peter Paul Walsh | Kline | 1926 (Spring) | 1933 (April 15) | [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] | |
| 31 | Franklin T. McQuaide | Herron | 1933 (April 15) | 1934 (January) | ||
| 32 | Ben R. Marshall | McNair | 1934 (January) | 1934 (September) | [37] Joined 1909 [38] [39] | |
| 33 | Jacob F. Dorsey* | McNair | 1934 (September) | 1936 (Summer) | ||
| 34 | Franklin T. McQuaide | Scully | 1936 (Summer) | 1939 (March 17) | [40] | |
| 35 | Harvey J. Scott | Scully | 1939 (March 17) | 1952 (August 11) | [41] | |
| 36 | Henry Pieper* | Lawrence | 1952 (August 11) | 1952 (August 13) | [41] [42] | |
| 37 | James W. Slusser | Lawrence | 1952 (August 13) | 1970 (January 5) | [42] [43] [44] [45] | |
| 38 | Stephen A. Joyce | Flaherty | 1970 (January 5) | 1971 (February 10) | [46] | |
| 39 | Robert E. Colville | Flaherty | 1971 (February 10) | 1975 (March 1) | [47] | |
| 40 | Robert J. Coll | Flaherty | 1975 (March 1) | 1986 (April 4) | [48] | |
| 41 | William Ward* | Caliguiri | 1986 (April 4) | 1986 (April 21) | [49] | |
| 42 | William "Mugsy" Moore | Caliguiri | 1986 (April 21) | 1987 (May 11) | [50] [51] | |
| 43 | Donald Aubrecht* | Caliguiri | 1987 (May 11) | 1987 (May 22) | [51] | |
| 44 | Ralph Pampena | Caliguiri | 1987 (May 22) | 1990 (May 17) | [52] | |
| 45 | Mayer DeRoy | Masloff | 1990 (May 17) | 1992 (June 15) | [53] [54] | |
| 46 | Earl Buford | Masloff | 1992 (June 15) | 1995 (December 29) | [54] [55] | |
| 47 | William E. Bochter* | Murphy | 1995 (December 29) | 1996 (April 2) | [56] | |
| 48 | Robert McNeilly | Murphy | 1996 (April 2) | 2006 (January 2) | [57] [58] | |
| 49 | Dom Costa | O'Connor | 2006 (January 2) | 2006 (September 28) | [59] | |
| 50 | Earl Woodyard, Jr.* | Ravenstahl | 2006 (September 29) | 2006 (October 31) | ||
| 51 | Nathan Harper | Ravenstahl | 2006 (October 31) | 2013 (February 20) | [60] | |
| 52 | Regina McDonald* | Ravenstahl | 2013 (February 20) | 2014 (September 15) | [61] | |
| 53 | Cameron McLay | Peduto | 2014 (September 15) | 2016 (November 8) | [62] | |
| 54 | Scott Schubert | Peduto | 2016 (November 8) | 2022 (July 1) | [63] | |
| 55 | Tom Stangrecki* | Gainey | 2022 (July 2) | 2023 (July 6) | [64] | |
| 56 | Larry Scirotto | Gainey | 2023 (July 7) | 2024 (November 1) | [65] | |
| 57 | Christopher Ragland* | Gainey | 2024 (November 1) | 2025 (March 4) | [65] [66] | |
| 58 | Martin Devine | Gainey | 2025 (March 4) | Present | [65] [67] |
Pittsburgh was required by an 1887 state law to have a Public Safety Director over all emergency responders. [68]
