Penny Levin: Female cop reporter had to overcome problems

Saturday, July 1, 2000 | 2:49 a.m.

Penny Levin, a crime reporter, federal court, convention beat writer from 1971-1992, on how she got her start as a crime reporter and some thoughts about Hank Greenspun:

"I was the first full-time female cop reporter hired by the Sun and had to overcome problems on the beat that were associated with that.

"I went to my first fire, which was at the Golden Nugget, and the fire chief looked at me and said: 'Oh there's nothing to fret about -- it's just a little itty bitty fire.' So I said to him: 'Could you please spell itty bitty because that's just not part of my vocabulary.'

"You had to have a sense of humor. It helped me develop a lot of sources I wouldn't have had if I got angry every time someone initially talked down to me. Eventually, I developed the trust of the police and did more ride-alongs with the cops on the beat than any other Sun reporter ever.

"One thing I remember was Hank's great presence in the newsroom and his concern about what was printed in his paper.

"Long after the bulk of the staff had gone home and there was just a skeleton crew on at nights, we'd see Hank walking through the building wearing his familiar loafers with no socks.

"He'd break away from his regular Wednesday night gin rummy game and call the paper to find out what the banner in the morning edition was going to be. If he didn't like it, he'd hold up the game to go over all of the other news stories to pick something better for the banner.

"Hank, his wife, Barbara, and son Brian are great people to work for because they inspire and reward integrity and loyalty. Hank admired courage in his reporters. He taught me to stand up for myself no matter what."

Today Penny Levin is a freelance writer who contributes to, among other publications, the Greenspun Media Group's ShowBiz Weekly.