Arbitrator reinstates officer to the Pittsburgh Police force

Keith Edmonds to get full back pay, benefits, zero disciplinary action An arbitrator on Friday, March 8, ruled that Keith Edmonds, the fired Pittsburgh Police officer who tased Jim Rogers numerous times during an arrest in Bloomfield in 2021 and who later died the following day, be reinstated to the police force. The arbitrator also ruled that Edmonds receive full back pay with no disciplinary action. The news was met with swift resistance from the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh NAACP. “First and foremost, our thoughts and our prayers go out to the friends and family of Jim Rogers. The City is deeply disappointed in the arbitrators’ award,” read the beginning of the City of Pittsburgh’s statement, sent to the New Pittsburgh Courier. “Officer Edmonds himself testified that he violated the policies of the City of Pittsburgh, however this award adopts a new standard that says that even an admission of guilt by the officer isn’t enough to warrant disciplinary action. Our city deserves a police bureau that prioritizes treating every resident with dignity and respect and we deserve a system where our officers can be held accountable for their actions.” The City of Pittsburgh fired Edmonds and three...