Cooper leaving as Connellsville police chief
CONNELLSVILLE – For nearly three decades, Steve Cooper has been a regular fixture on the city streets whether on foot or in a patrol car. However, before the end of August, he will exchange his blue city police chief uniform for another when he becomes the director of the Uniontown Hospital Police Department.
“It is time to move on, time for a change,” he said Tuesday. “It is time to broaden my horizons and do something different.”
Cooper joined the Connellsville Police Department in June 1979 as a patrolman after a brief stint with the Everson Police Department that followed his graduation from Westmoreland County Community College.
He was promoted to sergeant in January 1989 and captain 10 years later by then-Mayor Tom Duncan.
Mayor Judy Reed tapped him for the top position when she was elected in 2002.
“It’s hard to believe that I’ve been chief for 5 1/2 years,” said Cooper as he recalled his time with the department. “Where did the time go?”
While there have been multiple successes by the department during his tenure as chief, Cooper said that the job has also taken a toll, especially on his family.
“It is tough being a police officer with a family,” he said. “I can’t count the number of family gatherings I missed or had to leave early.
“The girls had to stay in bed on Christmas until I came home to open their presents or wait until my dayshift was over before they got to see what was under the tree.”
Cooper said there has been numerous interesting cases that required a lot of work for a successful conclusion, with one of the most time-consuming being the arrests and subsequent convictions of arsonists Harry Collins, Harvey Upton and others who had targeted businesses, a church, residences and abandoned buildings over a two-year period.
Cooper said that the dedication of the departments’ officers and the cooperative relationship with both state and federal law enforcement agencies led to the resolution of the arson spree.
“I was glad to be a part of that investigation,” he said. “It was a learning experience and allowed us to work closely with the state police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).”
In his new position at Uniontown Hospital, Cooper said, he will be overseeing 10 full-time and five part-time officers who provide security, law enforcement and provide a visible police presence at the facility.
He speculated that his duties will entail advancing the training and supplementing in-place procedures and protocols for the officers in addition to overseeing the day-to-day activities.
“They are in uniform and on-duty 24 hours a day,” he said. “They oversee the safety of patients, visitors and the hospital employees.”
The Uniontown Hospital, said Cooper, employs 1,200 and has nearly 60,000 patients per year visit the emergency room.
“It is a very busy facility,” he said, adding that the hospital will be enlarged over the next several months. “I’m sure hospital administrators will want the police force to grow as the building and the services are expanded.”
His pending retirement has been discussed with the Connellsville officers and the mayor, with his official departure scheduled for Sept. 15. However, he will take accumulated vacation time before he officially retires.
Department administrative clerk Janine Brooks said Cooper shared his plans with her last week, and while she is glad he has been chosen for the hospital position, she is also sad for herself and those who have benefited from knowing and working with him.
“He deserves this, and I am very happy for him, but on the other hand, I’m really going to miss him being here,” she said. “There are others here that can do this job, but Steve has done it so well for so long.”
Brooks said that Cooper’s dedication and knowledge of the police work afforded his rise through the ranks.
“I was here when he was hired as a patrolman,” she said. “I was never surprised when he was promoted; he worked hard and deserved it.”
Cooper speculated the search for his replacement would become a top priority for Reed.
“There are many good officers here for her to choose from,” he said.
Ed McSheffrey is the current captain of the force, with James Bielecki serving as detective lieutenant. Cooper replaced Bielecki as chief when Reed took office.
The selection of a police chief is at the sole discretion of the mayor.
Reed could not be reached Tuesday for comment.