If there’s one pastime Sergeant Christopher Prochaska just can’t let go, it’s definitely skateboarding.

“I’ve had kids. I’ve taken breaks in my 20s when I was trying to get my career moving along, but you know, whatever happened I could never get away from it,” said Prochaska.

Prochaska's tricks got him attention back in his early days, but it was his dedication to the city's first skate park that won the 45-year-old officer support from the skateboarding community in New Orleans. 

"Every Saturday, we do cleanup day and one day a guy in blue showed and there was a fair amount of skepticism on the part of a lot of the young skaters,” said Skylar Fein,  one of the skaters who helps manage Parisite Park. “He came week after week just to help us clean and up and it was pretty clear that his heart was in it.”

Park manager Fein credits Prochaska with getting the neighborhood on board after much skepticism.

“He would make a case for how good it was for the kids you know if there’s anything that kids can do you know between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. that’s safe that’s well-lit,” said Fein.  “It was pretty clear that he’s on the side of the park, and he helped us a lot over time.”

These days, the park attracts skaters from all over the city and Prochaska says his time riding the ramps has given him a new perspective on policing.

"We have to get very creative about how we deal with people and how we solve problems, and it’s not always simple,” said Prochaska.  “Sometimes, you have to think outside of the box.”

The sport has also taught him a few life lessons along the way.

"Probably the biggest life lesson it taught me is that what no matter how many times you fall, you get up and you keep trying that's the way you're successful,” said Prochaska. 

Prochaska currently serves in the department’s Recruitment Division tasked with recruiting and hiring the next generation of NOPD. To learn more about joining the NOPD, go to www.joinnopd.org.