Board: Video supports Pittsburgh police, not D.A., in Porter case

… exactly what video did Zappala and his staff see? 

Pittsburgh police have argued that the charges against Pittsburgh Steeler Coach Joey Porter should never have been dismissed by the Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala because the video of the event proves their case.

Now, the Citizen Police Review Board (CPRB), an independent, outside organization that investigates possible abuses by the police, agrees with the police contention. While the tapes of the event and arrest have not yet been released because the case is still in the criminal court system, CPRB Executive Director Elizabeth Pittinger was able to view the video, and the Post-Gazette said this about what she said at their Tuesday night meeting.

“It’s quite evident that what was contained in the probable cause affidavit submitted by Officer [Paul] Abel was consistent with what I observed in the video,” she said according to the PG.

The Newspaper reported that "Ms. Pittinger said the video shows Mr. Porter grabbing Officer Abel by the wrists and holding his arms out, so his body formed the shape of a lower-case ‘t’. She said people surrounded the pair, and at one point another person put a hand on Officer Abel’s back, above his firearm."

“[Officer] Abel was restrained,” she said, adding that he “could not have done anything to defend himself or anyone else.”

The paper continued, "[Pittinger] added that she felt the video supported a charge of aggravated assault, noting that Mr. Porter is 'significantly larger' than Officer Abel. She noted that she was concerned about the 'very dangerous situation that officer was placed in'.”

Could Zappala change his mind?

After viewing some video, Zappala's staff recommended that all of the serious charges be dismissed and that police charge Porter with only summary disorderly conduct and summary public drunkenness, according to the PG.

The D.A. could conceivably decide to not withdraw all of the serious charges, but that is unlikely after it made its statement on the case. However, the video evident, if entered at the preliminary hearing, could prove to be embarrassing to them.

Based on the D.A.'s controversial opinion, Porter was reinstated to the Steeler coaching staff and did not miss any games. The NFL continues to investigate, and if they view the video, their charges against Porter could be much more serious than the criminal charges withdrawn by the D.A.

The preliminary hearing for Porter was rescheduled for Feb. 21 to allow him to attend the playoff games.

This sounds like a major miscarriage of justice.