Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has chosen Washington County native Stephen A. Bucar to be the city’s new Public Safety Director.
“Steve is a model for the changes we need to make to the Public Safety Department and the city as a whole,” said Peduto during the May 14 announcement. “I need someone to repair the deep fractures within Public Safety, which have held back the good people in the department, and impacted our relations with neighbors citywide. He is a beacon for every city department showing the ways of the past are no longer acceptable.”
Bucar, 54, has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. Most recently he has overseen the FBI’s counterterrorism division in Washington, DC. He also served with Pennsylvania State Police and as an officer in West Brownsville before joining the bureau in 1991.
“I am excited to return home to southwestern Pennsylvania and help the Mayor — and the city’s public safety employees — build a new Public Safety Department for Pittsburgh,” he said. “I have long enjoyed working in law enforcement and government, and this position will be both a challenge and the natural next step in my public service career.”
Peduto thanked outgoing director Michael Huss for his service, citing his dedication and professionalism, and said, “neither the city nor I will forget that.”
However, Peduto said he wanted an “Eliot Ness” who could restore the reputation of a department damaged by recent scandal.
Though he has been working in Washington, Bucar and his wife live in Nazareth, PA. He has a daughter who is also an FBI special agent and a son who is a PA state trooper.
His appointment and $125,000 salary are subject to city council confirmation. He is expected to begin work in June.
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