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Page 6, PHOENIX, June 13, 1974 miiiiHfliimiiiiHmuHtui! memimiihuhiihDk P rofile:Police Humanitarian Amid1 Failings of a 'Rotten World'BY DOROTHY EVANSUnlikely activities such as chasing a pig through the woods or impersonating an Indian are just a couple of events punctuating the professional life of Patrolman Skip Creehan, community relations officer for the 78th Precinct on Bergen St. in Park Slope. About 6%u20193%u201d , broad shouldered and fair haired, Skip brings to his job an indomitable Irish sense of humor and a real facility for making people laugh. %u201c Sure we live in a rotten world, but there%u2019s lots of good in it, too,%u201d says Skip. And Skip, a true humanitarian, is part of that good.One morning, when Skip was working the 4 to 12 shift, his closest buddy from the Precinct who lives in Long Island called him. One of his friends had built a fence around the back of his garage, and left a pig there unbeknownst to his buddy. The pig got lonely with no one around and escaped. Skip and his family were recruited to chase the pig and bring it back to captivity.The 78th Precinct Community Council meetings sometimes get a little %u201c heavy.%u201d Park Slope is a neighborhood of many political factions, and it%u2019s not unusual for the meetings to become quite vocal. Skip has a number of friends who are American Indians who live in Park Slope and work as steeplejacks and bridge builders. Highly successful because of the uniqueness of their jobs, they had a function for one of the charities. The winner received an Indian head-dress and blanket. Since the Mohawk Chief lives in that precinct, Skip was given the honor of delivering the prize to the winner of the drawing. He arrived at the community council meeting that night wearing the Indian garb. %u201c Do you know it was the first time that everybody forgot their troubles and giggled,%u201d Skip said. %u201c Even the Captain laughed.%u201dThough Skip is very much a law and order kind of cop he is also very much a sensitive being. He is, for example, very sympathetic to his Indian friends in their latest attempt to recover a piece of land in the Adirondacks. %u201c It%u2019s an honorable stand,%u201d says Skip. %u201c The land belonged to the Indians in the first place until it was stolen from them.%u201dOfficer Creehan has been with the 78th Precinct for fifteen years. First assigned to District Attorney Gold%u2019s office, he became community relations officer in partnership with Patrolman Pete Kollinicos three years ago. One of his first assignments was to research his new partner for a community service award. In doing so he dug up names of the friends of Pete. %u201c I had to find out about the mystique of Pete,%u201d Skip said. He did. He found many who over the years havedeveloped a devotion to his partner, such that they would do almost anything for the big Greek, who works with kids, meets vyith gang ieaders, now often quells riots before they happen.Besides community relations, Patrolman Creehan also serves warrants and directs and supervises the Auxiliary Police. The Auxiliaries are assigned to strategic points in the community patroling the streets, and keep in constant touch with their A u xilia ry commanding officers, who in turn report to Officer Creehan.But seeing Skip in action really tells the story. In our rounds of the community, we first stopped at Berkley School on Lincoln Place, where the neighborhood block association was having a meeting on the block security plan. Burglary and rape prevention was the subject. Skip talked about the block associations forming their own vigilante committee with individuals taking turns watching for unusual street activity. Though there is regular radio control car supervision, as well as auxiliary patrol Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, there are many hours that the street needs increased security measures, w ith problems even during the day, observed Skip.Our next stop was at Wyckoff Gardens, the municipal housing project, to visit Mrs. Laura Greenride, president of the Tenant Association. An extremely com munity mindedStubborn Stain Specialists, Since 1907Our carpet cleaning service is better than ever, as you might expect after 57 years.Trust us to choose the right method for your job. We're the experts of washing, shampooing, steam extraction and special soil retardant processing.We can make old rugs new by altering and repairing themAnd as our name suggests we are quite familiar with the proper care of valuable oriental rugs.Call for a free estimate.The carpet people.D. K a j/a ia rx 0 S o rt IN C .X*-*/ .!2l I >1 ..AN STRKLTBROOKLYN. NY 11217TR 5-2222person, now retired from the department store A & S, she ran the summer lunch program in her neighborhood last summer. Unfortunately, the program had to be discontinued because of disruption in theOne of the concerns of the Police Department and of Skip is particular is lack of funding for com munity programs. Block Associations receive a small amount to assist them in their work. Many associations hold block fairs, fund raising events whereby people get to work together, to know one another, have common causesthat of their homes and their children-and their mutual safety and beautification of the neighborhoods.Skip takes his position seriously and conscientiously. Police science has come a long way in the past few years. Community relations officers, to be effective, must relate to the people of their precincts. They must understand kids, be familiar with the streets, deal with all classes, all kinds of pressures, all facets and factions of their community. Their job is to forsee problems and prevent them.Both Skip and his partner Pete have large families of their own. Both men were Brooklyn street kids. Pete was an orphan who raised his brothers and sisters. Born on Hudson St., Skip grew up as part of an Irish minority in his neighborhood.A member of a gang, wanting all the things that other kids had, Skip says he was inspired and encouraged to become a policeman by the Correction Officer in his neighborhood. Skip is an avid reader and one i of his favorite authors is Ayn : Rand o f1 %u2018Atlas Shrugged, %u2019 %u2019 and , Anne Morrow Lindberg in her %u2019%u2018 %u2018Gifts of the Sea. %u2019 %u2019 He%u2019s a bit of a philosopher and though he claims to be an a atheist, full of ego, self, %u201c I %u201d , don%u2019t you believe it. He cares too much about people. One day he says he%u2019ll retire and take his wife and as many of his seven children who want to go, to Galloway Bay in Ireland. I can%u2019t believe that either. 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