Pennsylvania

Chief defends cop after Steeler coach's arrest is questioned

Associated Press
Published | Updated

This photo provided by the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety shows Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter after he was arrested Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. Porter was charged early Monday, Jan. 9, with assaulting a doorman at a bar and a police officer who intervened hours after the team's wild card win over the Miami Dolphins. (Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety via AP) (The Associated Press)

FILE- In this Jan. 13, 2016, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter runs a drill during the NFL football teams' practice in Pittsburgh. Porter has been arrested at a Pittsburgh bar following the team’s wild-card win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) (The Associated Press)

In this Jan. 8, 2017 photo, Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach Joey Porter, right, and head coach Mike Tomlin leave the field after defeating the Miami Dolphins. Porter has been arrested at a Pittsburgh bar following the team's wild-card win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. (Christopher Horner/Tribune Review via AP) (The Associated Press)

Pittsburgh's acting police chief is defending an officer who arrested Steelers coach Joey Porter outside a bar Sunday night after the independent Citizens Police Review Board announced it's investigating.

Review board executive director Elizabeth Pittinger says the "high visibility" of the incident prompted the review, even though the board typically doesn't investigate unless someone complains about police misconduct. Porter's attorney says they didn't file a complaint about the officer's conduct.

Acting police Chief Scott Schubert says video he's reviewed of the incident supports Officer Paul Abel's version of events and justifies the arrest. Abel says Porter grabbed him by the wrist after he went to break up a dispute between Porter and a bouncer, hours after the team's playoff win over the Miami Dolphins.

The review board has the power to make disciplinary recommendations only.