Crime & Safety

Edgewood Police Chief Robert Payne Leads With Experience

Payne shares his philosophies on life and points of a career that has spanned decades.

Edgewood Police Chief Robert Payne spent 21 years surrounded by tragedy in the Allegheny County homicide unit, solving complex crimes and experiencing horrific scenes of violence.

Through the stress and turbulence of working as a detective, he shaped his approach on life.

“You need to make every day count,” Payne said. “I think working in that type of an environment when you’re dealing with more dead people than live people – and that’s what was going on – you learn to appreciate life in general and people in general.”

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That attitude and confidence is what keeps this 38-year police officer smiling and serving the people wherever his career has taken him.

“If you make somebody laugh, they have to like you,” he said with a smile.

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Payne sits in his office where several awards hang on the wall along with a collection of badges in a glass case marking decades of crimes solved, lives lost and a career that not many can match.

A Norman Rockwell picture of “The Runaway” depicts the playful scene of a police officer and a little boy sitting at the bar of a diner.

Phones are ringing and fellow officers are knocking on the door. Payne answers the calls and rolls on with each punch.

The latest challenge is solving a string of

“We have to look at crime in a realistic way,” Payne said. “Any of us overnight could become a victim of a crime and we need to take a proactive approach. It’s unpredictable.”

While officers collaborate on catching the suspects, Payne said the nature of society is transforming – and he is ready for it.

“With changing times I think Edgewood will be challenged – and I am in a position to take on that challenge,” he said.

after a two-month hiatus. After resigning Nov. 3, it was said tension with former Mayor Jean Davin caused stress in their working relationship, according to comments made by Borough President Patricia Schaefer.

, Payne began talks with borough council to return and was sworn back in among cheers from a packed crowd Jan. 3.

“I think people are happy that I’m back,” he said with a laugh.

No matter the challenges, Payne sticks to his own personal philosophy.

“Life is a precious thing and it’s a really fun thing if you are willing to make it fun,” he said.

Growing Up

Payne grew up in Braddock at the height of the community’s vibrant past. His first glimpse into what it meant to be a police officer came from his Uncle Louie.

“As a youngster, I remember going down to my grandma’s and seeing my Uncle Louie all the time in uniform and that was very impressive to me,” Payne said. “I thought ‘hey, that’s pretty cool.’”

As a young boy, Payne remembers looking at his uncle and aspiring for the kind of respect his demeanor demanded. He said his uncle “influenced the hell out of me without ever saying a word.”

“He always looked really sharp in his uniform and every time I put my uniform on I think of him,” Payne said. “I try to emulate the look that he had.”

Just before his Uncle Louie became ill and died, Payne had a chance to tell him about the influence on his own life.

“I told him I would like to pursue a career in law enforcement and he was very happy,” he said. “That was my beginning in law enforcement.”

Experiences of a Police Chief

After serving in Vietnam for 13 months as a military police officer, Payne was stationed in New Jersey where he trained and then passed every test to become a state police officer. But after four years of being away from home and serving in the military, he wanted to come back to Pittsburgh.

“Do I regret that? Probably every day,” Payne said. “They’re a great organization.”

Payne headed home and started looking for a job as a police officer in the early 70s, he said. After struggling and applying for job after job, he was finally offered three different positions with three different organizations at the same time.

He had to choose between working with the U.S. Border Patrol, the state narcotics department or the Allegheny County Police.

With an eye for investigating, he went with county police as he knew they would be expanding departments.

“I started there, learned how to ride a motorcycle and worked traffic detail by the Liberty tunnels on a Harley and learned how to ride a horse,” Payne said.

An opening for an investigator position came into play and Payne quickly became one of the first county police officers to become a homicide investigator in 1976 when the department took over that responsibility. It had originally been the district attorney’s office that handled such cases.

Payne spent 21 years working on homicides.

“I loved every single day that I went to work,” Payne said. “It was absolutely interesting and I miss it to this day.”

Payne was drawn to working on homicides for two reasons – the challenge and the elite group of officers that he would have the privilege of calling himself a member.

“Homicide is the most serious crime that we as police officers can investigate and it’s one heck of a challenge trying to outsmart the bad guys,” Payne said. “Homicides occur for lots of different reasons, and you have to be able to sift through a lot of information and get to the bottom of any specific homicide. It’s quite a challenge and I thought that’s what I want to do.”

While fighting crime, he also furthered his education with a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice and a master’s degree in criminology from the University of Pittsburgh.

“I wanted to use that kind of knowledge as a means to get the bad guys and that worked quite well for me,” he said.

He left his position with the county in 1998 when given the opportunity to leave at full pension after 20 years of service and reaching 50 years of age.

Path to Edgewood

After working at several different police jobs including posts at Carnegie Mellon University, Carlow University and private sector work, along with work as chief at Pitcairn and Plum boroughs, Payne discovered his first opportunity to work at Edgewood Borough a little over two and a half years ago.

While his wife, Jorjeann, is from Swissvale, it seemed to be a perfect fit.

“I have always enjoyed driving down Maple Avenue and every time I do I think, ‘This is what America should look like,’” Payne said. “This is hometown America right here.”

Payne also connects with the family-oriented nature of the Edgewood community. He has two daughters, Angelina and Annette, and a second grandchild on the way.

He reflected on his daughters' lives growing up with a police officer.

“They had to learn to live the life of a homicide detective and that’s a very difficult life,” Payne said. “My comings and goings were constant and it became second nature for them. It became a way of life that dad was always armed.”

District Judge Thomas Caulfield, who covers cases in the area, said Payne brings important qualities to his post as chief in Edgewood.

“He brings so much – number one he brings tremendous experience and he brings a real sense of leadership and professionalism that instills a real confidence in everything he does,” Caulfield said. “I really enjoy working with him.”

As Payne embarks on building a safe future for Edgewood residents, he moves forward with the attitude he is known for in the community.

“I think you get an awful lot more by having a positive attitude all the way around,” he said.


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