He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives,[2] and was the Chief of the Pittsburgh Police in 2006, and was a 27-year veteran of the force.

He was injured by a shooter in a February 2002 standoff in the Homewood neighborhood, and briefly retired from the force.

He retired again from the PBP after then Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's administration took over City Hall and for a time became the Police Chief of suburban Penn Hills before going into elected office as a State representative.

[5] Costa also failed to secure the Republican nomination in a last-minute write-in campaign.

[6] He graduated from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania criminal justice training center.