Former detective declines mayoral appointment

One of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s appointees to the Citizens Police Review Board has… One of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s appointees to the Citizens Police Review Board has decided not to serve on the law enforcement oversight board.

Former city police Detective Diana O’Brien Martini notified the mayor of her decision in a letter last week, in which she said she is unable to serve at this time but would like to serve in the future, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Citizen Police Review Board has clashed with city officials over whether to release documents from last September’s G-20 Summit, parts of which the board hopes to investigate.

Martini was among five new board members nominated this August by Ravenstahl and was scheduled to be sworn in on Friday. She did not give specific reasons for her decision in the letter.

The other nominees include two current board members, Richard Carrington and Pitt Student Conduct Officer Deborah Walker, as well as new appointees Donna Kramer, the Rev. Eugene Downing Jr., Deborah Whitfield and Leshonda Roberts.

Martini’s decision comes after months of disagreement over Ravenstahl’s decision to replace board members amid ongoing G-20 Summit police document controversy. The conflict formally began on June 18, when the CPRB and city attorneys disagreed over investigations of police conduct during the G-20 Summit.

The CPRB argued that a general investigation of the summit did not exceed its powers, while city attorneys countered that the board could only investigate individual complaints of police misconduct.

At the high point of the related media attention, Ravenstahl announced that he intended to replace five of the seven board members and reappoint two.

Now the mayor will have 30 days to nominate Martini’s replacement, the Post-Gazette reported, and it is likely that City Council will interview the candidate before voting on the appointment.

The board’s bylaws dictate that at least two former law enforcement professionals must sit on the board at any one time, so Martini’s replacement must have direct law enforcement experience.

Neither Martini nor the mayor’s office could be reached immediately for comment.