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Charleston Police chief tells it his way
Reuben Greenberg emphasizes customer service at public forum.
By Erik Tryggestad
Savannah Morning News
If the Charleston Police smash down your door during a drug raid, they'll install a new one.
That's what Police Chief Reuben Greenberg told a crowd of Savannah residents Thursday night at the Jewish Educational Alliance. Greenberg, who was a Savannah Police officer in the mid-1970s, and six members of his staff spoke at a forum sponsored by the Citizens Crime Commission.
More than 100 people attended the meeting, including local police chiefs, Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams Jr. and area politicians.
Greenberg, who's been chief in Charleston since 1982, said an apartment owner told him there was drug activity in his complex. Charleston Police made the bust, but it cost the landlord $400 to replace the door.
The owner told Greenberg he'd never call them again, because the damage was too expensive. That's when the chief got the idea to turn some of his officers into carpenters.
The idea of performing an act of service at a residence where a crime took place seemed disagreeable to some of the audience members, who shifted in their seats.
"I see some furrows in your brows," Greenberg said, but "the guy that's arrested is never the owner of that door."
"Customer service" was a term Greenberg said repeatedly during the two-hour meeting. The Charleston Police force even refunds money that's stolen from tourists.
"If a tourist gets robbed, he is given his money back that night by the Charleston Police Department," he said, to thunderous applause. "They're our customers."
It wasn't always that way. When Greenberg came to the department, the perception was that criminals had overtaken the streets. Greenberg said he and his staff set out to change that perception.
"If we can control the streets, then the drug dealers move into the houses. And once they move into the houses, they're not mobile," said Lt. Dick Vance, Charleston's narcotics division commander.
Under Greenberg's leadership, the number of officers walking the beats increased. There were three officers on foot patrol when he arrived, said Lt. Ed Chin, who was an officer there at the time. Now it's up to 35, Greenberg said.
And officers train residents to help them fight crime, said Sgt. Kevin Boyd of Charleston's Safe Street Unit. They show people what drug deals look like, for example.
"Let's drop that thin blue line and educate people like we're educating officers," Boyd said. "We're on one big team, so it's easier for us to go out and do our job."
Some of Greenberg's methods proved controversial. He had one officer dedicated to arguing against parole for criminals who committed rapes, armed robberies and burglaries. Those crimes had high recidivism rates -- meaning the same people committed the crimes multiple times. Greenberg said he wanted to keep them behind bars as long as possible.
When they do get out of jail, police keep tabs on who's been convicted of what. They go into neighborhoods and let past offenders know that they're being watched. If the crime they were arrested for is committed again, the past offenders are the first people the police question.
Are Greenberg's methods working? Statistics seem to be in his favor. The audience grumbled when he said Charleston had one homicide so far this year. By comparison, Savannah is up to 18.
But Greenberg was quick to say he came to Savannah to tell them what worked in Charleston. He said his methods there might not necessarily work here.
Nevertheless, "I know there may be some things that could be adoptable," said Chatham County Police Chief Thomas Sprague.
Savannah Interim Police Chief Dan Reynolds said city police have stolen some of Greenberg's ideas and are constantly looking at other departments to find new, effective ways to fight crime.
Greenberg was asked if he, under any circumstances, would consider being police chief in Savannah. The chief's office has been officially vacant since David Gellatly retired in December.
"I have no interest in relocating," he said. "Been there. Done that."
Crime and public safety reporter Erik Tryggestad can be reached at erikt@savannahnow.com or 652-0318.
-- 30 --
QA time for Chief Reuben:
The following were among the questions submitted by readers of the Savannah Morning News and put to Charleston Police Chief Rueben Greenberg at Thursday's public forum. Some questions were edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: What kind of procedures are used in Charleston to select police officer candidates? How many officers do you have?
A: Charleston has 350 officers and 130 civilian employees, Greenberg said. The police department recruits at colleges and universities. About 205 of its officers have undergraduate degrees, and at least four have law degrees. Charleston recruiters do extensive, "knock on door" background investigations.
Q: Is Charleston suffering from the same shortage of police officers facing Savannah and the rest of the country?
A: Yes. Greenberg said they usually have eight or 10 candidates who have already been processed and are waiting to get on the Charleston force when positions become vacant. But right now the department has about six vacancies and is still looking for recruits.
Q: My Chevrolet Caprice was stolen from my driveway. What can be done to stop the theft of automobiles?
A: Visibility is a deterrent, according to Greenberg's staffers. Using devices like "The Club" may prevent thefts by encouraging criminals to move on to other areas.
Q: What can be done about our police going to a crime scene and people not willing to prosecute or bring charges against the person?
A: "Combat that with the foot patrol," Greenberg said. Charleston has a large force of officers who routinely walk the neighborhoods and talk to residents. When crimes are committed, it doesn't look so odd for someone to talk to a police officer because they do it routinely, even when crimes aren't committed.
Q: I am a business owner in the Historic District and we have a lot of problems with unsupervised children stealing. There are also too many kids hanging out on street corners. How do you address this in Charleston?
A: Sometimes Charleston officers drive them back to their neighborhoods. And police encourage parents to take responsibility for their children. "It's not against the law in South Carolina to spank your own children," Greenberg said.
Q: Who polices the police? What policies does your department have in place to prevent officers from engaging in criminal activity?
A: Like most other departments, including Savannah, Charleston has an Internal Affairs unit. "We investigate every use of force by an officer," Greenberg said. When a shot is fired, Charleston police must give blood samples and undergo urinalysis. All officers involved in the incident, even if they didn't fire, must also undergo the tests to make sure they're above reproach. "I need to know," Greenberg said. "Some of the cops didn't like it, but I don't care what they like."
Q: Is it true that Charleston's homicide rate has decreased because low-income housing has been pushed into North Charleston (a separate city with its own police force)?
A: "We have as many low-income today as we ever had," Greenberg said. It's true that some have relocated from the inner city, but they've moved to other parts of Charleston, he said.
Q: If the chief's job was offered to you would you entertain the idea of moving back to Savannah?
A: "I have no interest in relocating," Greenberg said.
[This message has been edited by Oatka (edited July 14, 2000).]
Charleston Police chief tells it his way
Reuben Greenberg emphasizes customer service at public forum.
By Erik Tryggestad
Savannah Morning News
If the Charleston Police smash down your door during a drug raid, they'll install a new one.
That's what Police Chief Reuben Greenberg told a crowd of Savannah residents Thursday night at the Jewish Educational Alliance. Greenberg, who was a Savannah Police officer in the mid-1970s, and six members of his staff spoke at a forum sponsored by the Citizens Crime Commission.
More than 100 people attended the meeting, including local police chiefs, Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams Jr. and area politicians.
Greenberg, who's been chief in Charleston since 1982, said an apartment owner told him there was drug activity in his complex. Charleston Police made the bust, but it cost the landlord $400 to replace the door.
The owner told Greenberg he'd never call them again, because the damage was too expensive. That's when the chief got the idea to turn some of his officers into carpenters.
The idea of performing an act of service at a residence where a crime took place seemed disagreeable to some of the audience members, who shifted in their seats.
"I see some furrows in your brows," Greenberg said, but "the guy that's arrested is never the owner of that door."
"Customer service" was a term Greenberg said repeatedly during the two-hour meeting. The Charleston Police force even refunds money that's stolen from tourists.
"If a tourist gets robbed, he is given his money back that night by the Charleston Police Department," he said, to thunderous applause. "They're our customers."
It wasn't always that way. When Greenberg came to the department, the perception was that criminals had overtaken the streets. Greenberg said he and his staff set out to change that perception.
"If we can control the streets, then the drug dealers move into the houses. And once they move into the houses, they're not mobile," said Lt. Dick Vance, Charleston's narcotics division commander.
Under Greenberg's leadership, the number of officers walking the beats increased. There were three officers on foot patrol when he arrived, said Lt. Ed Chin, who was an officer there at the time. Now it's up to 35, Greenberg said.
And officers train residents to help them fight crime, said Sgt. Kevin Boyd of Charleston's Safe Street Unit. They show people what drug deals look like, for example.
"Let's drop that thin blue line and educate people like we're educating officers," Boyd said. "We're on one big team, so it's easier for us to go out and do our job."
Some of Greenberg's methods proved controversial. He had one officer dedicated to arguing against parole for criminals who committed rapes, armed robberies and burglaries. Those crimes had high recidivism rates -- meaning the same people committed the crimes multiple times. Greenberg said he wanted to keep them behind bars as long as possible.
When they do get out of jail, police keep tabs on who's been convicted of what. They go into neighborhoods and let past offenders know that they're being watched. If the crime they were arrested for is committed again, the past offenders are the first people the police question.
Are Greenberg's methods working? Statistics seem to be in his favor. The audience grumbled when he said Charleston had one homicide so far this year. By comparison, Savannah is up to 18.
But Greenberg was quick to say he came to Savannah to tell them what worked in Charleston. He said his methods there might not necessarily work here.
Nevertheless, "I know there may be some things that could be adoptable," said Chatham County Police Chief Thomas Sprague.
Savannah Interim Police Chief Dan Reynolds said city police have stolen some of Greenberg's ideas and are constantly looking at other departments to find new, effective ways to fight crime.
Greenberg was asked if he, under any circumstances, would consider being police chief in Savannah. The chief's office has been officially vacant since David Gellatly retired in December.
"I have no interest in relocating," he said. "Been there. Done that."
Crime and public safety reporter Erik Tryggestad can be reached at erikt@savannahnow.com or 652-0318.
-- 30 --
QA time for Chief Reuben:
The following were among the questions submitted by readers of the Savannah Morning News and put to Charleston Police Chief Rueben Greenberg at Thursday's public forum. Some questions were edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: What kind of procedures are used in Charleston to select police officer candidates? How many officers do you have?
A: Charleston has 350 officers and 130 civilian employees, Greenberg said. The police department recruits at colleges and universities. About 205 of its officers have undergraduate degrees, and at least four have law degrees. Charleston recruiters do extensive, "knock on door" background investigations.
Q: Is Charleston suffering from the same shortage of police officers facing Savannah and the rest of the country?
A: Yes. Greenberg said they usually have eight or 10 candidates who have already been processed and are waiting to get on the Charleston force when positions become vacant. But right now the department has about six vacancies and is still looking for recruits.
Q: My Chevrolet Caprice was stolen from my driveway. What can be done to stop the theft of automobiles?
A: Visibility is a deterrent, according to Greenberg's staffers. Using devices like "The Club" may prevent thefts by encouraging criminals to move on to other areas.
Q: What can be done about our police going to a crime scene and people not willing to prosecute or bring charges against the person?
A: "Combat that with the foot patrol," Greenberg said. Charleston has a large force of officers who routinely walk the neighborhoods and talk to residents. When crimes are committed, it doesn't look so odd for someone to talk to a police officer because they do it routinely, even when crimes aren't committed.
Q: I am a business owner in the Historic District and we have a lot of problems with unsupervised children stealing. There are also too many kids hanging out on street corners. How do you address this in Charleston?
A: Sometimes Charleston officers drive them back to their neighborhoods. And police encourage parents to take responsibility for their children. "It's not against the law in South Carolina to spank your own children," Greenberg said.
Q: Who polices the police? What policies does your department have in place to prevent officers from engaging in criminal activity?
A: Like most other departments, including Savannah, Charleston has an Internal Affairs unit. "We investigate every use of force by an officer," Greenberg said. When a shot is fired, Charleston police must give blood samples and undergo urinalysis. All officers involved in the incident, even if they didn't fire, must also undergo the tests to make sure they're above reproach. "I need to know," Greenberg said. "Some of the cops didn't like it, but I don't care what they like."
Q: Is it true that Charleston's homicide rate has decreased because low-income housing has been pushed into North Charleston (a separate city with its own police force)?
A: "We have as many low-income today as we ever had," Greenberg said. It's true that some have relocated from the inner city, but they've moved to other parts of Charleston, he said.
Q: If the chief's job was offered to you would you entertain the idea of moving back to Savannah?
A: "I have no interest in relocating," Greenberg said.
[This message has been edited by Oatka (edited July 14, 2000).]