Officer says she’s been unfairly targeted

Created on Wednesday, 20 February 2013 09:39 Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 February 2013 09:39 Published on Wednesday, 20 February 2013 09:39 Written by Rebecca Nuttall - Courier Staff Writer Hits: 1685

Ford’s colleague Cmdr. Holmes has also come under scrutiny in the media for his involvement in the consulting firm and a fulltime position he took with Slippery Rock University while simultaneously working as a sergeant for the Pittsburgh police in 2007. Chief Harper has been attacked for approving Holmes’ outside employment, and for Holmes’ promotion last year from sergeant to commander, which skips a rank.
“The reporting has been so slanted. It’s been biased and racist in the clearest form,” said Officer Brenda Tate. “No other chief has been harassed like this.”
Veteran Officer Tate and others have come to Ford and the other officers’ defense recently to decry the media coverage of the incidents. They also say the positive work of the officers is being ignored.
“It’s not that I’m a hard worker or educated, there has to be something else going on,” said Ford about the allegations of misconduct. “You say how much I made; you say how much my house costs, but you never say what I’ve done for the community.”
In addition to Ford’s work to bring a Police Athletic League youth crime prevention program to Pittsburgh, Ford has been instrumental in developing numerous youth initiatives including the city’s 52 Weeks of Peace, Adopt a Block, Safety Kids, and Junior Police Academy programs. She also created the Cops and Kids Summer Camp, which serves 180 children each year.