http://postgazette.com/pg/09195/983739-53.stm Pittsburgh Police Cmdr. Larry Ross retires from Zone 5 Tuesday, July 14, 2009 By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Police Cmdr. Larry Ross, the top commander at the city police station where three officers were killed in April, retired last week. Cmdr. Ross stepped down on Friday, after 30 years as a police officer and a little more than one year as the top supervisor at the Zone 5 police station, which covers parts of the city's East End. "He just felt it was time for him to go," said Diane Richard, a police spokeswoman. "He gave 30 years of dedicated service. He will be missed by the officers and brass of the Police Bureau." Cmdr. Ross could not be reached for comment yesterday. He joined the bureau in 1979 and rose to the rank of sergeant in 1993. He served with the traffic unit of the bureau's Special Deployment Division. As a commander, he was the top officer at the Zone 3 station, before it moved from the South Side to Allentown. Last year, he was transferred to Zone 5. On April 4, three Zone 5 officers -- Eric G. Kelly, Paul J. Sciullo II and Stephen J. Mayhle -- were killed by a gunman in Stanton Heights, the deadliest day in Pittsburgh police history. "They were like my kids," Cmdr. Larry Ross told the Post-Gazette at the time. "He brought experience to this job," Ms. Richard said. "He came up through the ranks. Now he can relax a little." Lt. Kevin Kraus, a supervisor with the city's major crimes unit, is now the acting commander at Zone 5, Ms. Richard said. Jerome L. Sherman can be reached at jsherman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1183. First published on July 14, 2009 at 12:00 am Read more: http://postgazette.com/pg/09195/983739-53.stm#ixzz0LGlMv9HE&C