The newest officer with the City of St. Ignace, Richard Cullen heads out on patrol Tuesday, June 3. New St. Ignace City police officer Richard Cullen can be found most mornings working out in the fitness center at Little Bear East Arena. Hired last month to replace Ryan Diehl, who resigned from the force to work in the Middle East, Mr. Cullen, who works from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., says fitness is his hobby.

Formerly an officer for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, he began working at the city police department in May, making the change to the police force to take advantage of its retirement program, which is not offered by the tribe.

A former member of the U.S. Coast Guard, he came to St. Ignace in 1997, when he was stationed on the Biscayne Bay. It was then he met his future wife, Mary Paquin, who is the kindergarten teacher at Gros Cap School.

The couple has three daughters, Liberty, who will be three in November, and twins Addison and Cadence, who turned one year old June 7.

One week before accepting the St. Ignace job, he was offered a position in his hometown of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He was excited at the prospect of returning home, although the decision to stay here was based on quality of life the area can provide for his family.

"It will be a better life for our kids," he said, adding that it would be nice to be close to stores and cultural activities, although his hometown has grown more than when he was there. His high school graduating class, he said as an example, had about 500 students.

"The way they are going to be brought up was a major reason for staying here," he said. "It's just a better lifestyle all the way around."

Police work, he said, interested him at an early age. His mother was a police dispatcher and many his parents' friends were on the police force.

"I was always around it," he said. "That's how I learned, growing up and watching them."

The 2001 Northern Michigan University Police Academy graduate prefers being outside to working at a desk, likes the variety of police work, and favors patrolling streets at night.

He likes being available to help residents as he covers the night shift. No matter what law enforcement agency one works for, he said, night calls often involve drunk driving, fights, trespassing, and domestic disputes.

"I like the fact that at night," he said, "there is nobody to call but the police. You can't call your neighbor or your friend to help you out or to rely on. There's only one number you call, so that's a good feeling, knowing we're it."

He joins Police Chief Tim Matelski, Sergeant Mark Wilk, officers Merlin Doran, Tom Tarnutzer, Allen Mitchell, meter officer Nick Pavloski, and secretary Lori Strich.