ULISH CARTER
After 35 years of serving Pittsburgh as a police officer, the media is crucifying the city’s top cop, Chief Nate Harper. Many of the accusations go back as far as 2007. Why?
He hasn’t been charged with or even accused of anything illegal, or breaking any of the city’s rules or regulations. So why are the media and mayoral candidates demanding he either be fired, step down or take a leave of absence?
The issues facing the chief: The first accusation was that he was friends with businessman Arthur Bedway, owner of Alpha Outfitters, a firm that is being investigated by a federal grand jury. First reports said the chief was a close friend, then later an associate. Bedway received a $327,000 contract in 2007 to install and maintain radios and computers in city police vehicles. According to sources, Bedway is the type of man who befriends anyone he thinks can help him, and that he is friends and associated with many people throughout the city and county government. But by calling him a friend of the chief, it implies that the chief helped him get the contract.
The second accusation is that Harper had become a part of a security business with fellow officers. This was true, but the business hasn’t started up yet, and was due to start after his retirement. The name of the business created by Officer Tonya Montgomery-Ford, Commander Eric Holmes and Sgt. Barry Budd was Diverse Public Safety Consultants LLC.
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