Hometown News and Views

By Judy Vik

 Pompano Beach -- Hundreds of Broward Sheriff’s Office personnel, along with law enforcement from throughout Broward County and other areas of the state, converged at Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday to pay respects to BSO Deputy Christopher Schaub.

Schaub, a 22-year BSO veteran, died Sept. 26 from injuries suffered in a traffic crash in Pompano Beach. He was 47.

He joined BSO in 1990 and worked on road patrol, in the detective bureau and most recently in Pompano Beach as a motorman with the traffic unit.

En route to Calvary Chapel, police from BSO and other agencies led a long procession from the funeral home in Pompano Beach past city hall where city employees from many departments and their vehicles lined the roadway. A large American flag was displayed from a fire rescue vehicle.

At Calvary Chapel, BSO Senior Chaplain Rick Brasington presided over “the celebration of the life of a man who made the world better.”

Deputy Eric Crompton described Schaub as “a great man and the best partner a guy could ask for. We rode together every day, and he had my back, and I always had his.”

Crompton said Schaub loved his family, friends and animals – his cats, dogs and birds. His house was an animal sanctuary.

And he was very proud of his children, Kaitlyn and Tim. “He was so delighted that Tim was following in his footsteps at BSO.” Tim works in the patrol division in Pompano Beach.

Crompton said Schaub was more than a co-worker. “He was my friend, and I will take his memory to work with me every day.”

Deputy Mario Potvin, a member of the motor unit, also spoke of how proud Schaub was of his children, urging them to “stay strong and follow your dreams.”

He told Schaub’s girlfriend, Kimberly Longo, how happy she made him and how “he had finally found the love of his life.”

Potvin said he would remember Schaub for being “honest, open-minded, ambitious and having compassion for everyone he encountered.” He called him an amazing individual and a mountain of a man.

“I can see him [in heaven] asking Peter if he has a Harley Davidson with his name on it,” Potvin quipped.

Some question why anyone would go into law enforcement, Potvin said. “We can’t imagine anything else.

“Every day we question the suspicious and guard the weak,” he said. “If you needed backup, you wanted him by your side,” he said of Schaub. “We face the unknown every moment, but he took precautions. It’s impossible to make sense of the loss of such a fine deputy. All we know is that we lost an extraordinary human being.”

Potvin said Schaub was “a shining example of what a deputy should be. He was competent, tenacious, brave and dedicated.”

Schaub’s son Tim, with his sister at his side, thanked members of the motor unit, fire rescue and medical personnel who tried to save his father’s life.

He said that ever since he was young he always looked up to his father and as an adult he wanted to be just like him.

His voice breaking with emotion, he said that now he would give anything “to have five more minutes with him to say thank you, I love you and ride safe.” His remarks were met with applause.

Maj. Bill Knowles of the Pompano Beach district said Schaub was a police officer from the old school. “He believed in the police profession and to protect with courage and serve with compassion. He always treated people with dignity and respect.”

Extending his sympathy to the family, Gov. Rick Scott said, “We owe a debt of gratitude to a family with public safety service over three decades.” Christopher’s late father was a 30-year veteran of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office in New Jersey.

Scott noted that Schaub was the 14th law enforcement officer in the state to give his life since he took office.

Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said it was a tough day and a tough couple of years for the men and women of the sheriff’s office. He listed the loss of Sgt. Chris Reyka, Paul Rein, Firefighter Bill Elliott as well as Schaub.

Schaub’s personnel file was filled with awards and commendations, and his evaluations were spectacular, Lamberti said.

As a deputy told him at the viewing Monday, “He was a really good guy.”

“We mourn the loss of one of our own, and we grieve for the family left behind,” Lamberti said. “It takes a selfless person to put on that uniform every day and protect people they may never know.”

Schaub was born May 21, 1965 in Orange, N.J., the son of Preston and Lillian Schaub. He started his law enforcement career with the Livingston Police Department where he was a patrolman from 1985 to 1989. He was also a volunteer fireman with the Livingston Fire Department from May 1987 to September 1988.