New Rochester police chief sworn in

ROCHESTER — The city of Rochester’s new police chief, George Rouhib Jr., was sworn in during a City Council meeting June 26.

Rouhib has over 37 years of experience in law enforcement, previously serving with the Eastpointe police, where he was hired as the public safety director in September 2018.

“This is my last lap in law enforcement, and as I get older, I get more emotional. I saved the best for last,” Rouhib said.

Prior to his time in Eastpointe, Rouhib spent 32 years in the Fraser Department of Public Safety, including serving as its director for 11 years, receiving numerous awards from the city for bravery, lifesaving efforts and meritorious actions.

Rouhib said serving as Rochester’s new police chief is going to be “fun” and shared a message for residents.

“My goal is to meet as many people as I can one-on-one. I’d like to hear what you have to say. I’d like to make the changes, if I can, and implement certain programs, but we’re going to have a lot of fun,” he said.

Rouhib holds a master’s from Eastern Michigan University in interdisciplinary technology and a bachelor’s from Wayne State University in criminal justice/psychology, and he is a member of various professional affiliations — including the Operation Smack Down Task Force — and is a co-founder of the first chapter of Families Against Narcotics. He also served as an adjunct professor in Macomb Community College’s criminal justice program, where he began teaching in January 2017.

Rouhib replaces former Police Chief Steve Schettenhelm, who retired from his post after over 15 years of service to Rochester.

Schettenhelm, Rouhib shared, has been helping him transition over the last couple of months.

“He elected to stay on for a few weeks to help me transition. There’s not many people that would do that, but it just goes to show you what his character is, as a leader and as a man,” said Rouhib. “I will say he left his legacy here. It’s an unbelievable legacy. I’ve got some huge shoes to fill.”

Schettenhelm said the city went through “an exhaustive selection process” to find Rouhib.

“We’ve, I think, picked someone who certainly will respect the traditions and the things that we have accomplished to get this far, with a key eye on, certainly, improving, and getting only better from here on out,” Schettenhelm said. “I’m confident that Chief Rouhib is a person who can do that and certainly look forward to watching that happen.”

“My goal is to give you everything that I have, and I will,” Rouhib said during the meeting. “I know how important it is to have great leadership here, and I am so confident that I am going to be that leader.”

The Rochester Police Department is located at 400 Sixth St. For more information, call (248) 651-9621.