Pittsburgh Stories: Police Chief Anna Kudrav
My current project, Portraits of Pittsburgh Police Officers, is in its nascent stage, so for now I’ll refrain from commenting on it. However, I’m slowly gaining the trust of department, such that Police Assistant Chief Anna Kudrav volunteered for the project. When I met the Chief, she told me that she was volunteering so that she could hopefully set an example for young women who are interested in a career in law enforcement. And, after spending a little time with the Chief I believe she is the perfect woman to set that example, as well as being an excellent subject for Pittsburgh Stories.
Chief Kudrav was born and raised in Pittsburgh. The first years of her life she lived in the Uptown neighborhood, then when she was 10 the family moved to Hazelwood. She bragged that Hazelwood is coming back! Her father was a cop so after completing a BA degree at Pitt she signed on to join the department, and for 5 years she and her father served Pittsburgh together. And it wasn’t just Anna who followed her father’s footsteps; her brother joined the department as well.
By doing well at her job, not making police work about her, and studying hard for the promotional exams she rose up the ranks of the department. And she paid her dues! She worked night shifts, 11 pm to 8 am, the hours when the bad dudes roam. She transferred from station to station absorbing as much as possible to learn about the city’s neighborhoods, and for a couple of years she learned the ins and outs of the department doing administrative work in the old Public Safety Building on Grant Street, all the while raising two daughters.
As a junior Lieutenant she had dual duties, she patrolled the streets while supervising the other officers. I asked the Chief if she ever encountered misogyny or sexism. She said, “Looking back now, I had certainly been naïve.” She recalls that the senior officers tested her, yet rather than taking it personally she worked hard to earn their respect. She wanted to learn from them, so taking their “poking” was just a part of the rite of passage, however she added the testing was never mean spirited or personal. I asked her if she poked back, and she said no and that she needed them more than they needed her.
Chief Kudrav also owned up to her mistakes, taking every one of them as a learning opportunity. She credits her dad and brother most for making her a good cop and learned from them how to work with other officers. Both father and brother had strong reputations for being good officers, who did not seek attention. She said her father had opportunities for promotions yet passed on them preferring to remain in the field where he could help and train other officers.
The Chief also rode the ups and downs of the department. In the late 90’s the Federal Government ordered a Consent Decree to the department. The Feds had serious issues within the department that needed to be addressed within 5 years. She recalls it being a very intense period where both administrative and field operations were overhauled making her job more involved, complicated, and bureaucratic. She said at the time she was “this kid lieutenant just trying to keep her head above water!” Then in the early 2000’s she rode out another department crisis when many officers were laid off due to financial issues with the city.
The Chief is very modest in describing how she moved up the ranks to her current position as Assistant Chief. She said she never assumed higher rank and was cautiously grateful for the promotions. Upon hearing her describe how much she enjoys developing relationships with her officers, encouraging them to do better, and helping them to understand why they are held to a higher level of accountability, it’s easily apparent why she’s become an integral part of the department.
In an occupation that’s emotionally and responsibly challenging and at times dangerous; it takes some ego to be a cop. And huge egos often clash, so it takes someone with some humility and grace to navigate and facilitate those egos. For me it is no surprise as a woman, Chief Kudrav does it well. She added that she loves to bring credit to and promote the unheralded that do all the hard work. At the end of our interview I sheepishly asked the Chief if she is the mother of the department. Rather than giving me a dirty look she let out a huge laugh, and said, “you don’t know how many times I’ve had to tell my officers that I am not their mother!” She paused then added, “but I am always there for them.”
