“When we caught that faculty burglar, that really brought back the investigative juices from my previous career,” said Skyline’s Chief of Public Safety Robert Dean.

And what a career it has been so far.

Dean served 24 years in the Millbrae Police Department from 1976 to 2000, eventually retiring from the force as a captain.

He taught as an adjunct professor at Notre Dame de Namur University, CSM, and Skyline College in various psychology and criminal justice courses.

Searching for a different sort of outlet after years of criminal justice-related work, Dean, an avid sports fan, found work in baseball.

The San Francisco Giants organization hired Dean as an assistant clubhouse manager for eight seasons.

Dean recalled several memorable moments during his stay with the Giants.

One such moment was during a road trip during Barry Bonds home run record chase. While the Giants along with Dean were in Arizona, Bonds hit homers 733 and 734.

According to Dean, the hard-hitting slugger kept each bat that he homered with as personal trophies; until one went missing.

“At the time we were flying with Delta and they had privatized a company to unload luggage from the plane,” said Dean. “Some of the ramp workers had taken and secreted the bats in the belly of the plane.”

The story ended well, however, as the bat-thieves were caught and the bats returned.

Chief Dean had praise for the bearded Giants closer Brian Wilson as well.

“He is a very smart guy with a wonderful sense of humor and a dry wit about him,” he said.

“Wilson’s the guy you want to live next to; you never know what he’s going to do and he is the guy I saw the players gravitate towards, even for a quick laugh.”

Dean worked for the Giants until 2011, departed on good terms and ended up with an office filled with memorabilia. Racks of autographed bats, baseballs, and photos now adorn the walls of his office.

He returned to criminal justice in April of 2011, as a part-time public safety officer for CSM. Dean eventually moved up to become a full-time officer, and was promoted in July 2012 to Skyline’s Chief of Public Safety.

“It’s a very diverse community here, and there’s a lot of interaction in different ways. I enjoy being part of that,” Dean said.