An Ear to the Ground

when clark tiger graduated from the police academy in 1991, his class was the second to take part in a new policy that assigned new officers directly to a precinct instead of a borough.

growing up on the west side, he was fortunate to be placed in the 20th precinct, which covers west 59th street to 86th streets.

"i knew the neighborhood very well, and was very excited to be working here," tiger said.

tiger, 42, has spent his entire 18 years on the police force in the 20th precinct, building important connections with neighborhood organizations. when he became a community affairs officer in 2001, these relationships became valuable in handling the precinct's many demonstrations, street fairs and block parties.

"as time goes on, your knowledge of the area and familiarity with the area grows," he said. "it's easier for people to deal with someone they've known for a long time."

tiger, who lives on the east side with his wife and 2-year-old son, decided to become an officer after he received his master's degree in international relations from florida state. with the cold war having just ended, jobs in that field dried up.

"i didn't know if there would be any job opportunity in that field," he said. "i started looking elsewhere. one of my ideas was police work."

after returning to his hometown and joining the new york city police department, he patrolled the streets for more than nine years until he moved into community affairs. in that role, he acts as a liaison to the neighborhood, elected officials and organizations, fielding a deluge of quality-of-life complaints. noise concerns are the most common, followed by complaints about illegal street vendors and bicyclists who ride on the sidewalk. staying on top of these problems helps tiger keep track of growing quality of life problems or criminal activity.

"we'll act on a tip immediately," he said.

special events also pose a challenge when police presence is needed. even if the demonstration gets people "hot under the collar"-such as the westboro baptist church, a kansas group known for making anti-semitic and homophobic comments-tiger said he must protect pedestrians and residents while allowing the group to safely demonstrate like they did earlier this summer.

"that's the balance we have to maintain," he said.

sam katz, president of the precinct's community council, called the upper west side a "showcase precinct," with its public institutions, museums, high profile events and a highly demanding constituency.

"we have everything," she said. "the precinct has a high quality of life and it has to be maintained 24/7."

katz called tiger accommodating and always available to assist with the council's regular monthly meetings and large events, like national night out, an anti-crime rally.

"we have a lot of activities. with all these public events, our community affairs officers are a critical aspect of that," katz said.

while crime fighting may be the most glamorous aspect of policing, katz said, community affairs officers are integral to community outreach and maintaining order at public events.

"we're all volunteers, so we have limited time," she said of the council. "so you need someone who's going to listen and follow up on requests."