Craig Sorg, a staple at numerous Fox Chapel-area community events, has announced his days to serve and protect the borough are numbered.
The police sergeant is retiring after more than three decades in law enforcement.
Council unanimously accepted Sorg’s resignation letter July 15.
However, residents will have plenty of time to say their goodbyes as the former Mars police chief will enter into a deferred retirement option plan effective Aug. 7.
Entering DROP means wages and pension levels will be frozen as of next month while Sorg has the option to continue working up to three years, according to borough Manager Gary Koehler.
Monthly benefit payments will be kept in an interest-bearing account by the borough and be fully available whenever Sorg decides to formally hand in his badge and gun.
Koehler said police officers’ retirement age is about 55 while Social Security is not usually available until age 65.
“This is an opportunity for police officers to save money, begin collecting on their pension and also continue working to save funds for those three years,” Koehler said.
Sorg said he plans to stick around for the full three years.
“I realized as much as I love the borough and I love the community, it’s time for me to start planning for my future and moving on,” said Sorg, 59, of Fox Chapel. “My wife (Sarah) and I are looking forward to traveling and enjoying life. It seems right, and I’m excited to start a new chapter.”
The couple have been married for eight years.
Council President Andrew Bennett called Sorg the “heart and soul” of Fox Chapel Day as well as an outstanding officer.
He expressed sadness at the retirement announcement but was pleased to hear Sorg’s commitment to stick around for awhile.
“I thought I was going to have to cry tonight to get him to stay,” Bennett said. “Congratulations, Craig, as you move toward retirement. You’ve been such a great police officer. The community involvement is second to none.”
Other borough officials also commended Sorg for his work with the department and community engagement.
Craig’s career
Sorg was hired by Fox Chapel in September 1994 and became sergeant in August 2021.
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He started his career with the Jackson Township Police Department in 1986 and joined Mars Borough’s force in 1987, moving up the ranks to chief before leaving in 1994.
Sorg graduated from the Allegheny County Police Academy in 1985 and from Seneca Valley High School in 1982.
He has a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Penn State University.
Sorg said he got involved with law enforcement out of a desire to help people and by watching his father, Ralph, serve as a volunteer firefighter in Penn Hills.
“Seeing what they did and, when they weren’t answering calls, he was very active in community stuff,” Sorg said about his late father. “It just seemed like the right thing to do. I was attracted to being a police officer more than a firefighter.”
The family moved out of Penn Hills to Zelienople when Sorg was 13. A friend of a neighbor’s father was a state trooper. Sorg said he also talked with the trooper about getting involved in police work.
Community service
Sorg has been one of the key figures in the department’s community-oriented policing efforts, organizing coffee with cops, bicycle rodeos and open houses; hosting pumpkin-themed events with Foxwall EMS; and coordinating the borough’s inaugural Light Up event last year.
He also repurposed a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle, a model commonly referred to as a Bug, into a community relations car.
It has come along way since restoration began in January 2023.
The Bug recently was named “Sgt. Pepper,” and its interior restoration is nearly complete. The name was picked from suggestions made by residents.
It has been featured in several parades as well as events in neighboring communities.
Sorg said he hopes to use the next few years to teach other officers how to run the aforementioned activities so they continue long after he is gone.
“I’m going to miss all this and everybody, I really am,” Sorg said.
Michael DiVittorio is a TribLive reporter covering general news in Western Pennsylvania, with a penchant for festivals and food. He can be reached at mdivittorio@triblive.com.