Promoted to military captain overseas, Pittsburgh police officer receives 2nd promotion

He waited nearly a year to be sworn in as a Pittsburgh police sergeant, but Robert Connors received another promotion in the meantime.

Connors was serving in the Middle East with the Pennsylvania National Guard last year when he was promoted from officer to sergeant, and he could not take his oath until he got home. While on active duty, however, he was promoted to the rank of captain in the military.

He returned home in November.

“Growing up as a kid on the North Side of Pittsburgh, it’s always kind of been a dream of mine to be able to give back to the city,” Connors said after the small ceremony in Mayor Bill Peduto’s office. “Serving in the military, getting promoted last year to the rank of captain and then coming back and being promoted to sergeant here – it means a lot to me.”

Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich told Connors that sergeants and lieutenants are the city’s first line of defense.

He was serving in the Middle East with the Pennsylvania National Guard last year when he received the promotion, though he was promoted to Captain

“What you do in the first few minutes with the officers that you supervise will most likely make the difference in, potentially, life and death.”

Chief Scott Schubert noted the many younger, newer officers in the bureau, and he said it will be up to sergeants like Connors to guide them.

“You have the opportunity to set the tone for how people are going to be throughout their career – how they treat people, how they treat their fellow brother and sister officers and supervisors,” he said.

Connors said the magnitude of the job is not lost on him.

“I promise to take the responsibility of leading my fellow officers extremely seriously,” he said, “and to make sure I always operate to the best of my ability.”

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@tribweb.com or via Twitter @meganguzaTrib.