Congratulations are in order for traffic Officer Dick Hill of the Arlington Police Department. Hill, who the community affectionately calls, "Motorcycle Mike."
“I don’t know how the legend started, or 'Motorcycle Mike' started. I guess I should be honored in the sense that people know who I am,” Hill said.
The department posted a 12-minute video of a day in Hill's life on Nov. 6 to celebrate his half-century of service.
“If I didn’t like doing this, I wouldn’t still be doing it. It’s not like I am just hanging on,” Hill said. “I’m not hanging on. I go out, I do my job, and I get very few complaints, believe it or not. And with traffic, you know you’re going to get complaints."
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In that video, Hill caught a speeder and had to do what police do: pull him over.
“They don’t always go that smooth, but you know, it depends on how you talk to people. If you talk to people with respect, generally, it’s a mutual thing. Not always, but most of the time,” Hill said in a video produced by the department.
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While he loves his job, some aspects of it weigh heavy on his heart, such as leading a motorcade for a fallen officer. Hill did that during the End of Watch Ceremony for Darrin McMichael in September 2023.
“I trained Darrin on motors. We are all a family. We are so close. You sweat your tail off and freeze in the winter. We share that common bond of riding those motorcycles and there have been many close calls. Darrin paid the ultimate price, and he was a good rider, too,” Hill said.
Service runs in the family. Hill’s son is Cpl. Dick Hill with the fire department.
“If you were to ask me what a true public servant looks like, I would tell you it's Officer Dick Hill,” Police Chief Al Jones wrote on social media. “You don't last 50 years in policing unless you absolutely love it and cherish the positive impact it allows you to make. Congrats on reaching this milestone!"
The department called Hill a “true Arlington PD legend.”
