Officer, ex-girlfriend cop face charges after fight

The city council has been considering action for police accused of domestic violence.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A veteran city police officer and his ex-girlfriend, a retired officer, were each charged with simple assault after an altercation at the city’s first police ball in 70 years.

Officer Anthony Charles, 48, and retired Officer Tracey Williamson, 44, began fighting outside the ball downtown about 10:45 p.m. Thursday, police said. Williamson told police that Charles shoved her, while Charles said Williamson punched him in the mouth and tore his clothes.

Pittsburgh police Chief Nate Harper said he referred the matter to the Office of Municipal Investigations, which probes allegations of police misconduct.

“The fact that this occurred and we’ve been under the spotlight, we wanted to be transparent about this,” Harper told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The city’s policies regarding police accused of domestic violence came under scrutiny after three officers were promoted in June despite past allegations of such abuse.

That prompted city council to consider an ordinance requiring officers to tell supervisors if they are involved in a domestic dispute. One version of the proposed ordinance would require officers who are the subject of protection-from-abuse orders to surrender their service weapons along with other guns.

Critics say that measure would make it impossible for those officers to work, even though they may not have been convicted of a crime related to domestic violence.

Williamson was on light duty clerical work before retiring on a medical disability two or three years ago, Harper said. Harper could not immediately say what kind of disability Williamson has, but he said the fist fight could raise questions about whether she’s permanently unable to work.

Charles has worked for the police bureau since 1980.

“These two have had an intimate relationship in the past and [Thursday] night they got into a dispute, and it was a mutual assault,” Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson said. The couple did not go to the dance together.

Online court records did not list an attorney for either Charles or Williamson. The Associated Press could not locate a phone number for either officer.