Reuben Greenberg
Encyclopedia
Reuben Morris Greenberg, born in 1943, was the first Black police chief
of Charleston, South Carolina
, and known for being an innovative criminologist.
He was police chief there from 1982 until his retirement in 2005.
, the son of a Russian Jewish immigrant father and an African-American mother. He converted to Judaism at age 26.
in anthropology from San Francisco State University
in 1967, and earned master's degree
s in public administration
and city planning
from University of California, Berkeley
in 1969 and 1975. He is also a graduate of the FBI Academy
.
as an Assistant Professor at California State University
, political science
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, and criminal justice
at Florida International University
.
, and he was a major with the city's police department. In Florida, he was Chief of Police at Opa-Locka and Chief Deputy Sheriff of Orange County, rising to Deputy Director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
. He arrived in Charleston as Chief of Police in 1982.
In the words of Charleston's The Post and Courier
reporter David Slade, he "turned the... Police Department into a national model. In the process, he became a celebrity and a source of pride for the city ...."
Greenberg told his cops that their job was not to punish (that was up to the courts), but to make arrests, and in order to do that they had to be on good terms with the citizens. So he put his cops out on the streets, not in cars. They walked, rode bicycles and horses, and were accessible to "normal people," who might not want to call or visit headquarters.
He also required that every cop earn a bachelor’s degree, whereas when he arrived at the department not all had even graduated from high school. He added a K-9
bomb and drug-sniffing unit, a harbor patrol, and a crime lab to the police department. He had a team of officers remove graffiti the moment it appeared, sending a message that the city belonged to the police, not the vandals.
It worked, and Greenberg became a media celebrity. The Los Angeles Times headlined its profile, "A Black, Jewish, Roller-Skating Cop Brings A New Way to Fight Crime to the Old South."
Charleston's population increased 64% during the time Greenberg was chief, while crime decreased 11 percent(falsely reported).
Greenberg retired in 2005 after over 23 years. This followed a controversial 2005 incident in which a motorist charged that he hit her car door after she told him that she had called the police department to report his erratic driving. Health reasons, such as high blood pressure, were cited as the cause for his behavior for several years earlier, which included: poking a news reporter in the chest while on video in 2003 (he later apologized, saying "I'm not proud ... It was not my finest hour"), calling an anti-war demonstrator a "crazy fat lady" in 2003 (he later said: "I was wrong. She's not fat. She's obese. She's grossly obese. If she doesn't like that, she can do something about it, like the Atkins diet that I was on."), and being involved in 5 traffic accidents while in his police vehicle over a 6-year period. During one of these accidents, in 2005 he hit a car while turning the wrong way down a one-way street.
in 1994 for distinguished success in fighting crime.
. In the book he tells what moves he made to take back the streets in his adopted city from criminals, and what he thinks other law officers can do to accomplish the same.
He has also authored a number of police-related articles, and has appeared as a guest columnist for several newspapers, most notably the Detroit News He was the subject of an article in Readers Digest.
, Larry King Live
, The Phil Donahue Show
, The Today Show, Both Sides
with Jesse Jackson
, and the The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour.
.
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, and known for being an innovative criminologist.
He was police chief there from 1982 until his retirement in 2005.
Childhood
Originally from Texas, Greenberg is Black and also an Ashkenazi JewAshkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
, the son of a Russian Jewish immigrant father and an African-American mother. He converted to Judaism at age 26.
Education
Greenberg received his bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in anthropology from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
in 1967, and earned master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s in public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
and city planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
from University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1969 and 1975. He is also a graduate of the FBI Academy
FBI Academy
The FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is the training site for new Special Agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was first opened for use in 1972 on 385 acres of woodland. It is a relatively small government academy, housing three dormitory buildings and...
.
Teaching career
He taught sociologySociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
as an Assistant Professor at California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, and criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
at Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
.
Law enforcement career
He served as the Undersheriff of the Chatham County Sheriff's Department in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, and he was a major with the city's police department. In Florida, he was Chief of Police at Opa-Locka and Chief Deputy Sheriff of Orange County, rising to Deputy Director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is a Florida government agency. FDLE is composed of five programs: Executive Direction and Business Support, Criminal Investigations and Forensic Science, Criminal Justice Information, Criminal Justice Professionalism, and the Florida Capitol Police...
. He arrived in Charleston as Chief of Police in 1982.
In the words of Charleston's The Post and Courier
The Post and Courier
Charleston's The Post and Courier is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the South and the eighth oldest newspaper still in publication in the United States. It is published in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the Charleston Courier, founded in 1803, the...
reporter David Slade, he "turned the... Police Department into a national model. In the process, he became a celebrity and a source of pride for the city ...."
Greenberg told his cops that their job was not to punish (that was up to the courts), but to make arrests, and in order to do that they had to be on good terms with the citizens. So he put his cops out on the streets, not in cars. They walked, rode bicycles and horses, and were accessible to "normal people," who might not want to call or visit headquarters.
He also required that every cop earn a bachelor’s degree, whereas when he arrived at the department not all had even graduated from high school. He added a K-9
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
bomb and drug-sniffing unit, a harbor patrol, and a crime lab to the police department. He had a team of officers remove graffiti the moment it appeared, sending a message that the city belonged to the police, not the vandals.
It worked, and Greenberg became a media celebrity. The Los Angeles Times headlined its profile, "A Black, Jewish, Roller-Skating Cop Brings A New Way to Fight Crime to the Old South."
Charleston's population increased 64% during the time Greenberg was chief, while crime decreased 11 percent(falsely reported).
Greenberg retired in 2005 after over 23 years. This followed a controversial 2005 incident in which a motorist charged that he hit her car door after she told him that she had called the police department to report his erratic driving. Health reasons, such as high blood pressure, were cited as the cause for his behavior for several years earlier, which included: poking a news reporter in the chest while on video in 2003 (he later apologized, saying "I'm not proud ... It was not my finest hour"), calling an anti-war demonstrator a "crazy fat lady" in 2003 (he later said: "I was wrong. She's not fat. She's obese. She's grossly obese. If she doesn't like that, she can do something about it, like the Atkins diet that I was on."), and being involved in 5 traffic accidents while in his police vehicle over a 6-year period. During one of these accidents, in 2005 he hit a car while turning the wrong way down a one-way street.
Awards
Greenberg was named Justice Professional of the Year in 1991 by the Southern Criminal Justice Foundation, received the Foundation for Improvement of Justice 1989 Achievement Award and the Free Spirit Award from the Freedom ForumFreedom Forum
The Freedom Forum was created in 1991 under the direction of Al Neuharth, former publisher of USA Today newspaper. Funding was provided by a foundation started by publisher Frank E. Gannett in 1935, called the Gannett Foundation...
in 1994 for distinguished success in fighting crime.
Author
Greenberg is the author of Let's Take Back Our Streets, 1989, written with Arthur Gordon, a consulting editor of GuidepostsGuideposts
Guideposts is a Christian-faith based non-profit organization founded in 1945 by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Raymond Thornburg, and Peale's wife, Ruth Stafford Peale. The Guideposts organization is headquartered in Carmel, New York, with additional offices in New York City, Chesterton, Indiana, and...
. In the book he tells what moves he made to take back the streets in his adopted city from criminals, and what he thinks other law officers can do to accomplish the same.
He has also authored a number of police-related articles, and has appeared as a guest columnist for several newspapers, most notably the Detroit News He was the subject of an article in Readers Digest.
TV
Greenberg has explained his tactics ands strategies on television programs such as 60 Minutes60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
, Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, The Phil Donahue Show
The Phil Donahue Show
The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, is an American television talk show that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast in Dayton, Ohio, and it was broadcast nationwide between 1967 and 1996.In 2002, Donahue was ranked #29 on TV Guide's...
, The Today Show, Both Sides
Both Sides
-Unreleased Tracks:Several instrumental tracks were recorded and subsequently released as extra tracks on both singles for "Everyday", and "We Wait and We Wonder". These instrumental tracks include, "Rad Dudeski", and "Don't Call Me Ashley"...
with Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
, and the The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour.
Film
Greenberg appeared in Shalom Y'all, a 2002 documentary about Jews in the American South which also featured author and singer Kinky FriedmanKinky Friedman
Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American Texas Country singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election...
.
External links
- Inventory of the Reuben Greenberg Papers, 1990 - 1997, Avery Research Center at the College of CharlestonCollege of CharlestonThe College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...