'71 Grad Enjoys Working On Campus Cop Force

John Pippin '71 is the first Harvard graduate to become a member of the Harvard Police Force, and he says he is very contented with his job.

"Some people think that I'm cheating the world or myself because I have a Harvard degree and I'm not trying to make a lot of money." Pippin said yesterday. "But I think the most important thing is that I do something I enjoy," he added.

After graduation last spring, Pippin found himself unsure of what he should do next. He decided that to continue his study of German history in graduate school could not provide the fulfillment he sought.

Not a Damn Thing

"In fact, I looked around and couldn't find a damn thing that I wanted to do," he said. "The majority of older people that I saw were working at some job that they didn't really want to do. I don't want to end up going to work in the morning, dreading the day and spending the weekends bitching about having to go to work on Monday.

"I considered every sort of job in search for Something that would make me happy. I wanted to have a job where I knew that if I, with my own particular ability weren't there, the world wouldn't be quite so good. I didn't want to have to say, after 30 or 40 years at a job, that if I hadn't been there someone else could have done the job just as well; or if the job hadn't been there, at all, it wouldn't have mattered."

Pippin had become acquainted with Harvard Police Chief Robert Tonis while working for Harvard during the summer. When Pippin asked Tonis for a job in August, Tonis said that "I would have to wait for an opening and that there wasn't a retirement coming up for three years," Pippin explained.

But in November Tonis finally notified Pippin that he was expanding the size of the force and on December 1, John Pippin climbed into the blue uniform of the Harvard Police Force.

"I like working for the Harvard Police rather than for a metropolitan police force because I have a great deal of leeway in how to handle various situations," Pippin said.

"I have not had to make an arrest yet, but I have been in some situations where I could have. Our duty is to watch out for Harvard students. This is a place where I can help out without having to screw anyone," he added.

"Pippin said that, although he does not use his education directly, the background of a liberal education "definitely helps a lot in my police work."

Pippin is continuing his reading in German history and hopes to pick up some psychology courses in addition to the 3 law enforcement courses he is now taking Northeastern.