Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will not rescind promotions of three Pittsburgh policemen with domestic incidents in their backgrounds.
The city probably would lose in court; no policy was violated and there are no convictions. But Mr. Ravenstahl, who obviously had not taken firm control of the department, must do so:
• Cmdr. George Trosky allegedly broke the nose of his wife. Charges were dropped, but he was demoted in 1997 and the two divorced in 1998.
• Lt. Charles Rodriguez allegedly struck his daughter in April but charges were dropped this week.
• Police went to the home of Sgt. Eugene Hlavac in March after reports of screaming.
Ravenstahl had known about Mr. Trosky beforehand. He claims he was blind-sided by the other cases and gave Chief Nate Harper a talking-to.
Appearances really matter for a police bureau that was under strict federal oversight until five years ago. The mayor is correct to hold up further promotions until a new policy is established.
Yet Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson implored the public, especially protesting women's groups, to "trust" the police.
Pittsburgh-style "trust" led to Justice Department supervision of the police and put the city into ongoing state receivership.
If Pittsburgh is backsliding, the mayor has to stop it.
