James Taylor’s ‘Fire and Rain? speaks of seeing the good and bad of life.
New Independence Township Detective Tim Hein, who worked playing soft rock like that sung by Taylor, can truly speak to the contrast.
As both a detective and a devoted family man, Hein sometimes sees the darker side of human nature at work only to return to home at night to a loving family.
‘I’m a big family man, I love my job and I’m happy to be here,? said Hein, who is excited about the new challenges and workload a detective faces.
‘I made the switch to detective from the desire to go deeper into things. As a patrolman you handle things at a more superficial level as far as crimes go. In terms of investigating, you only scratch the service,? said Hein.
‘It’s more satisfying. I’m detail oriented and think my personality is more suited to investigating crimes and seeing them through to the end,? he continued.
After spending much of his career in Commerce Township, Hein is excited about working in Independence.
‘I’m happy here. Everyone gets along so good. I’ve never seen this type of cooperation and community support. The relationship between the sheriff’s department and community is phenomenal,? said Hein.
With a wave of police television shows, Hein acknowledged certain things about the job are sometimes not always accurate.
‘My wife and I are CSI junkies, but a lot of that stuff they do is totally unrealistic. The time frame on lab results for instance, it doesn’t happen that fast. Also, I’m really into computers as they apply to law enforcement. I crack up every time they use a computer. The show has all these noises and graphics; there’s no police computer programs with that type of flash and high-end graphics,? said Hein.
Besides the recent jump to detective, Hein still has a few things he wants to do in his career.
‘I want to land in the computer crimes division. I still have half my career ahead of me so there’s plenty of time. When I retire, my 10-year-old is convinced we’re going into business as a detective agency,? said Hein.
Hein who joined Independence Township substation as a detective on July 10, came to Oakland County in 1990 and spent the first four or five years bouncing around from station to station as young officers often do. He spent the last 10 years in Commerce Township working as a patrolmen and a high school liaison officer. He served his first two years of law enforcement in Lake Angeles, the Village of Holly and Atlas Township.
Hein was originally born in Clarkston, but moved to Waterford at a young age and has lived in the area ever since. He and his wife have been married for 13 years and have three children.