An investigation by Maryland authorities into Jason Lando, the nominee for Pittsburgh police chief, wrapped up earlier this month after finding “no violations of criminal law,” according to a letter by Maryland’s Office of the State Prosecutor.
Lando, a former veteran Pittsburgh police officer, served as police chief in Frederick, Md., for nearly five years.
He told Triblive Friday the probe concerned allegations made by a former Frederick police officer he had planned to fire.
Prosecutors closed their case, according to the Dec. 2 letter from Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Mary W. Setzer to Lando’s attorney in Greenbelt, Md., Bruce Marcus.
Lando provided the letter to TribLive.
News of the investigation emerged Friday as Lando continued to meet in Pittsburgh with “community stakeholders” as he gets a head start on running the 750-member Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
In an interview, Lando said the investigation was spurred by a complaint filed against him by Dan Sullivan, a former corporal.
Lando defended himself and told TribLive the bad blood between the two men became “next-level” after Lando tried to discipline Sullivan over his use of force.
“What kind of chief or leader would I be if I said, ‘I’m not going to hold this guy accountable because it might escalate?’” Lando told TribLive Friday. “I did the right thing … and sometimes this happens.”
Lando said Sullivan retired before he could carry out any discipline.
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor last month nominated Lando, a Squirrel Hill native who served 21 years in Pittsburgh before leaving for Maryland in 2021, to run the police bureau.
O’Connor Friday stood behind his pick for chief.
“Chief Lando has a record as a longtime advocate for police, justice and community relations, and he is widely respected by both officers and the community,” O’Connor told TribLive. “I think that his reputation and his accomplishments with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police speaks for itself.”
Lando must win the support of City Council and undergo a public interview before he is sworn in as chief. O’Connor takes office Jan. 5.
What happened in Frederick
Frederick’s mayor, Michael O’Connor, (no relation to Corey O’Connor) told TribLive he learned Tuesday night that the investigation was completed.
He said Lando had told him several weeks ago that his phone “had been taken for an investigation (into) telephonic harassment.”
“That’s all that was shared, and I was comfortable allowing the investigation to play out,” O’Connor said.
At that time, Lando remained a Frederick employee and had submitted a letter making his resignation effective in January.
The mayor launched an “administrative internal investigation” into whether Lando might have violated any city or police department policies, Allen Etzler, spokesperson for O’Connor, said.
The Frederick mayor said the internal investigation was standard procedure for any employee who had been the target of a criminal probe.
“It’s really just following the policy that we would have in place for any employee in the city of Frederick, police chief or otherwise,” he said.
On Wednesday, though, Lando submitted a letter resigning immediately and the mayor’s investigation was closed, Etzler said.
Frederick’s O’Connor said he does not intend to launch a criminal investigation.
The Frederick mayor said any information that was compiled as part of the internal investigation before Lando resigned would be added to his personnel file.
“My personal thoughts are going to stay personal,” O’Connor said. “How other people want to interpret anybody’s time working for the city of Frederick is entirely up to them.”
He said he was not aware of any prior complaints or investigations into Lando.
Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. Jenkins told Triblive no criminal charges were included in findings his office handed over to to the state prosecutor.
“I think the findings are pretty clear,” Jenkins said, declining to elaborate. “We were simply the finders of fact.”
Maryland’s state prosecutor Friday declined comment.
“It is the policy of the Office of the State Prosecutor not to comment on the existence or status of any criminal investigation unless and until it results in criminal charges,” Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III said in an email.
Sullivan’s background
Sullivan was involved in a nonfatal shooting in 2022, according to the Frederick News-Post.
In 2017, before Lando took over as chief, Sullivan sued his department and several superiors claiming they violated his constitutional rights in retaliation for a Blue Lives Matter rally in support of police officers he organized the year before.
Sullivan, who joined the Frederick police force in 2004, sought $20 million in damages for alleged intimidation and defamation, The Associated Press reported. A federal judge dismissed the case in 2018.
Sullivan did not return phone calls Friday seeking comment.
Lando said the vitriol between himself and the retired corporal bordered on “next-level stalker behavior.”
“The most uncomfortable part of being a chief is holding guys accountable for breaking the rules,” Lando told TribLive. “You don’t want to destroy an officer’s life over an honest mistake … but I’ve never in my career had anyone respond like this.”