City Council honors retiring police chief Schubert

Pittsburgh City Council honored police Chief Scott Schubert on Tuesday by declaring June 21 “Chief Scott Schubert Day.”

Chief Schubert, 55, of Brookline, announced his retirement in late May, effective July 1.

“I may be retired, but Pittsburgh’s still my home. I’ll still be involved with things,” Chief Schubert said during Tuesday’s council meeting. “I may be working in West Virginia, but I’ll still be living here and living there and committed to doing whatever I can do to help our city, our residents.”

Chief Schubert, following in his father’s footsteps, started as a Pittsburgh city police officer 29 years ago. He moved up through the ranks during his career and became chief of the bureau of police in 2017.

“I love being a city of Pittsburgh resident, love being a Pittsburgh police officer,” he said. “It’s in my DNA.”

Council President Theresa Kail-Smith characterized Chief Schubert as “humble” and said he has given “tireless, dedicated service to Pittsburgh.”

“Chief Schubert started in our zone as a commander, and I knew then he was going to go somewhere far,” Ms. Kail-Smith said. “What he did back then, before it was fashionable before people talked about community and policing, he was there. He was in the communities; he was building relationships.”

Chief Schubert will be taking a job at the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services headquarters in Clarksburg, W.Va.

“I wish you all the best,” Councilman Anthony Coghill, who grew up in Beechview with Chief Schubert, said. “Our loss is their gain. I was terribly upset to hear about your retirement. I feel our city needs you at this critical time …”

Various members commended Chief Schubert’s dedication to community interaction, including during the pandemic when he walked every neighborhood in the city.

“I think that’s something that is lost, but I think that shows the passion you have for this city, for the residents and for the job

that you had to do,” Councilman Corey O’Connor said.

Also in honor of Chief Schubert, council will be making a donation to the Special Olympics, an organization he has done extensive work with. The donation amount was not released.

Mayor Ed Gainey previously said that the city will conduct a nationwide search for a new chief. In the meantime, Deputy Chief Tom Stangrecki will serve as acting chief until a new one is named.

“You’re going to be in very capable hands with the deputy chief,” Chief Schubert told council on Tuesday. “I’ve known Tom my whole career … he knows this department inside and out and you’ll be in very good, capable hands with him.”

Some council members have voiced their hopes that the city promotes from within the department, rather than bringing in someone not intimately familiar with the bureau’s day-to-day operations.

“I think you have a lot of good people within the Pittsburgh police who love our city and can easily do the job and help make a difference and help improve things within the

Pittsburgh police, so I would say I hope there’s a look internal as well, but that’s not up to me,” Chief Schubert said after the council meeting.

He recommended that whoever his successor may be, that they “make themselves available to the community.”

As his retirement date nears, Chief Schubert asked “just one thing” of the city: “Please take care of our officers out there. They’re the ones who are out there trying to put their lives on the line to help others,” Chief Schubert said. “They need your support. They need funding and when we’re wrong, tell us we’re wrong. ... We’re always trying to change how we do things to be better, to be more efficient, to be safer.”