By Rebecca Billman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

BLUE ASH - In 1962, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley tried to lure away Cincinnati's chief of police, Stanley R. Schrotel.

That wasn't unusual. Having a reputation as one of the country's top cops, Mr. Schrotel was courted by cities such as Baltimore and Denver. They wanted him to step in and clean up problems in their police forces.

Even the White House sought his advice. And in 1958, Life magazine, which put him on its cover, named him one of six likely successors to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

But Mr. Schrotel wouldn't abandon Cincinnati. The lure of more money and a bigger challenge couldn't budge him from his city or his loyal staff.

Instead, Mr. Schrotel decided to continue presiding over one of the nation's finest police forces (according to newspaper stories at the time), pushing for higher educational requirements for officers and other reforms to make it even better.

After over 30 years on the force, he retired in 1966 to oversee security for Kroger Co.'s then 20-state operation. He returned to public service in 1983, when Hamilton County named him director of Domestic Relations Court.

Mr. Schrotel, 88, died of complications of cancer and congestive heart failure Tuesday at Hospice of Cincinnati in Blue Ash.

"He was a very honest and courageous and intelligent man who did, I think, wonderful things for his city and for the country," said his wife, Betty F. Schrotel.

Mr. Schrotel joined the police force in 1934 because he needed a job and "City Hall was seeking police officers," he told the Enquirer in 1966.

After working as a patrolman for four years, Mr. Schrotel was promoted to sergeant at the old District 4 station on West Fifth Street. From there, he moved to the vice squad, then the Bureau of Identification. He completed a course at the FBI's National Academy in Washington.

During this period, he also studied at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law. After he received a law degree, newspapers touted him as one of the best-educated police officers in the nation. His co-workers joked that they needed pocket dictionaries to understand him.

In 1951, the 37-year-old cop took the exam for the chief's job - and scored 99.33 percent. He was the youngest man to be sworn in as police chief.

Mr. Schrotel became nationally known for making the Cincinnati Police Division a model department.

The Ford Foundation named him trustee of a $30 million Police Development Fund in 1970. He also served as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Mr. Schrotel was a graduate of Withrow High School, the University of Cincinnati and Chase College of Law. He was a member of the Rotary Club, Scottish Rite, the Shrine, the Order of Curia, the Ohio and Cincinnati Bar associations, the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Academy Association, Knox Presbyterian Church in Hyde Park and Santa Rosa Community Church in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

He and his wife moved to Destin, Fla., three years ago after Mr. Schrotel retired from Domestic Relations Court. They spent their summers in downtown Cincinnati.

In addition to his wife, survivors include: a daughter, Kim Schrotel of Milford; two sons, John T. "Bucky" Schrotel of Tampa, Fla., and James A. Schrotel of Santa Maria, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is noon Monday at the Jon Deitloff Funeral Centre, 4389 Spring Grove Ave., Winton Place.

Memorials: Hospice of Cincinnati, 4310 Cooper Road, Cincinnati 45242 or Shriners Hospitals-Cincinnati, 3229 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati 45229.

E-mail rbillman@enquirer.com