Reuben Greenberg
From CharlestonWiki
Reuben M. Greenberg took over as the Charleston chief of police in 1982, after the suicide of the former chief. Greenberg earned his many degrees in the San Francisco Bay area during the turbulent years marked by the Vietnam War and Civil Rights protests. He worked in law enforcement and also taught college-level public safety courses. He came to Charleston in 1982 from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Shortly after he took over, the crime rate and charges of police brutality in Charleston fell dramatically. He retired in August, 2005 after 23 years of service.
In 1989, Chief Greenberg published the best-selling book, "Let's Take Back Our Streets."
Chief Greenberg was approached by Columbia and Chicago to head their police departments. He refused to accept either position, opting to remain in Charleston.
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Controversy
Most Charlestonians considered Chief Greenberg an outstanding police chief. However, he was not afraid to speak his mind and, as such, was confronted with controversy over his statements.
Black and Jewish
From the start, Chief Greenberg's Black and Jewish heritage sparked controversy. The Los Angeles Times ran an article in his first year titled, "A Black, Jewish, Roller-Skating Cop Brings A New Way to Fight Crime to the Old South."
The East Side
Chief Greenberg's plan was to increase police in the high-crime areas. He covered the East Side of Charelston with police in cars, on foot, on bikes, and on horesback. Those living in the East Side saw this as racial profiling. Councilman Kwadjo Campbell publicly attacked Greenberg's continued efforts to increase patrols in the East Side.
Racial Profiling Comment
Chief Greenberg described racial profiling as "a very, very small problem in law enforcement in our country." Again, the East Side, which complained of racial profiling in the past, protested Greenberg's comment.
The Fat Lady Comment
Chief Greenberg referred to a war protester in Marion Square as a "crazy fat lady." In his apology, he made the situation worse by stating, "I was wrong. She's not fat. She's obese. She's grossly obese."
The East Side Comment
After a protest in the East Side nearly turned into a riot, Chief Greenberg stated that he was not surprised because criminals hate police and the East Side is full of criminals.
Black-on-Black Comment
In a television interview, Greenberg stated that if one black kid really wants to kill another black kid, there isn't much you can do to stop him. He later apologized for his comment.
The Assault
A West Ashley woman claimed that Chief Greenberg assualted her after she called 911 to report his erratic "drunk" driving. Chief Greenberg admitted that he was very angry with her, but did not assault her. He also stated that he was not drunk and does not drink alcohol at any time. A week after this incident, Chief Greenberg retired.
