According to The Post and Courier, former Charleston Police Chief Reuben Greenberg has passed. A law enforcement legend, locally and some might say nationally, Greenberg was an over-the-top personality — I mean, he patrolled the streets in roller blades . Below is a write-up on Greenberg we penned for your 15th anniversary issue:
In the history of law enforcement in Holy City, Reuben Greenberg was a rarity. The former Charleston Police Department head was not only the city’s first African-American chief , but he was also something of a character. (Did we mention he converted to Judaism as a young man?) During his 23-year tenure as police chief, Greenberg’s aggressive, boots-on-the-ground approach to crime fighting earned him the attention of the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Newsweek, and 60 Minutes. While I never had the chance to speak with Greenberg personally — I was working in Greenville in those days — my brother did, and I think it illustrates exactly why some folks loved Greenberg’s take-no-shit tactics and others thought he was a brown-shirt bully. As the manager of the now defunct Manifest Discs and Tapes by the Citadel Mall, my brother routinely dealt with shoplifters. More often than not, they’d turn over what they’d stolen when they were caught, but sometimes they didn’t. And on one occasion, one would-be shoplifter decided to hightail it out of the store. For whatever reason, my brother decided to chase the man down and tackle him. The cops eventually arrived and arrested the man. Days later, Greenberg showed up at the store to thank my brother for doing his part to fight crime, despite the danger, both legally and personally, and let him know that the city needed more citizens just like him. Unfortunately, Greenberg’s strong-arm style got the best of him. Following a series of high-profile WTFs — including one embarrassing freak-out in which he terrorized an innocent driver by banging his fists on the hood of her chair — Reuben retired in 2005. And crime fighting in the Holy City hasn’t been the same, for better or worse.
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