BOISE, Idaho — Former Boise Police chief Ryan Lee – who was asked to resign at the request of Boise Mayor Lauren McLean in September 2022 – "appears to be in line" to become Pittsburgh's new police chief, KTVB's NBC affiliate WPXI reported Friday.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey's office told WPXI the mayor plans to make an announcement "within the next two weeks" on the city's next chief of police. The outlet also questioned whether the mayor considered Lee's background.
Lee officially separated from the city last October. His resignation on Sept. 23, 2022, came after a story was published on internal complaints against Lee, including a memo from the Office of Police Accountability recommending Lee be placed on leave pending further investigation into the complaints.
Lee was also under investigation by Idaho State Police for allegedly injuring an officer's neck during a briefing, but was never charged. Lee was never placed on leave by McLean during his service with the Boise Police Department.
He was named Boise Police chief in the summer of 2020. Ron Winegar, a 27-year veteran of the Boise Police Department, officially became interim chief on Oct. 31, 2022. Winegar was named interim chief at the end of September.
Prior to Boise, Lee worked for the Portland Police Bureau for nearly two decades.
In WPXI's report Friday, Pittsburgh Citizen Review Board Executive Director Beth Pittinger said she has "some serious concerns" with Lee's background.
Back in February, Lee was listed as an applicant for the same role in Toledo, Ohio, according to KTVB's sister station WTOL. Interim chief Michael Troendle was later named the permanent police chief in Toledo.
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