Pioneer of Pitt Police force, equal rights dies at 62

For some, being a people person is tough. For Gwen Elliott, it was an effortless way of… For some, being a people person is tough. For Gwen Elliott, it was an effortless way of life.

Gwen Elliott, former Pittsburgh police commander, died May 14 from cancer. She was 62.

Elliott has been a figurehead in the city of Pittsburgh, being the first black woman to achieve the rank of commander.

In 1976, Elliott was one of 12 women to become the first female Pittsburgh police officers. Eventually she rose to the rank of commander, a position she held for 16 years until she retired in 2002.

Many close to her said she was kind and was able to hold conversations with anyone, from millionaires to single parents on welfare.

“Every person she gave full attention to. She was committed to the people,” her son, James Elliott, said.

He served time in prison, but with much diligence and guidance from his mother, Elliot was able to become one of six pastors at Petra International Ministries in East Hills.

Gwen Elliott’s experience with motherhood is a contributing factor to her founding Gwen’s Girls, a nonprofit organization. The mission of Gwen’s Girls, as stated on the organization’s website, is “to empower girls, ages 8 to 18, to have productive futures through holistic, gender-specific programs, education and experiences.”

“She was a pioneering woman of all races, especially black women,” Elliott said. He also said his mother showed people that “even if you were a single parent, you didn’t have to settle for less.”

Gwen’s Girls executive director, Lynn Knezevich, found that working with Elliott was beneficial not only to the girls that she served, but also to adults.

“She was able to bring such humanity and care to the city of Pittsburgh. When people committed crimes, she looked at the reason why they committed crimes,” Knezevich said.

Elliott’s passion to serve was shown throughout her lifetime as a police officer, a community organizer and an adjunct professor in criminal justice with Point Park University.

“We’re just really grateful that we had her in our life,” Knezevich said.