Roger Schei reflects on being named next Pocatello police chief

POCATELLO – The Pocatello City Council confirmed Roger Schei as the next Pocatello Police Chief on Thursday.

The deputy chief will take over for Scott Marchand on June 18.

“It’s starting to sink in, I’m sure on the 18th it will, for sure,” says Schei.

Schei joined the police department in 1995.

Since then, he’s climbed the ladder to where he is now.

And gaining that perspective is something he feels is one of his most valuable strengths.

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“Not only have I worked in every division as an officer, but I’ve also worked in every division as a supervisor. So I think that’s helped me understand the workings and help give me that well-rounded knowledge that I need just to be successful,” Schei says.

Beyond his police work, Schei is connected in the community as the board president of the sixth judicial district Court Appointed Special Advocate program.

He’s also raised a family in the Gate City, and telling his family about getting the job meant a little more for one of his daughters.

“They thought it was pretty cool. One of my daughters wants to be a police officer, so she knows it can’t be at Pocatello Police while I’m here. But she’s got a little ways to go. They’re very proud,” Schei says.

So this job may make him the cool dad, and it may put him in a new office with a new title, but for Schei, getting this job was never about himself.

“I’ve often said it’s not about me, it’s about the community. It’s about the men and women that serve this department. For me, it just puts me in a position where I can be able to serve the community at a different level, serve the men and women of this department at a different level,” says Schei.

This story was first published by KPVI. It is used here with permission.