BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Staff Writer

He’s the new Independence Township substation commander, but Lt. Todd Hill is far from unfamiliar territory.
“I’m excited,” said Hill, whose first day on the job was Feb. 1. “I began my patrol career here in Independence in 2004 and spent a couple of years here before going to alcohol enforcement and then a number of different detective positions. This is a well-respected and well-run substation and always has been, so following in Lt. (Larry) Perry’s footsteps is the norm, if you will, of the way a substation should run.”
Hill said taking over for Perry, who was promoted to captain with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, has been a seamless transition.
“There’s always big shoes to fill following Lt. Perry, but I think every command officer has their own skill set,” said Hill, the 2017 Oakland County Command Officer of the Year. “And Lt. Perry took and improved the substation in his way. With any changes, and I’m a proponent of if the wheel’s not broken, we don’t fix it, we have a goal of providing proficient and professional police services for the township.”
Originally from South Lyon and now living locally, Hill has been in law enforcement since 1995 when he started with the sheriff’s office. He has also worked in corrections, at the Oakland County Trustee Camp, with the Fugitive and Auto Theft units, and as a Springfield Township detective. From there, he was promoted to sergeant, where he went to the Pontiac substation for a couple of years and then to the Training Unit for several years. As a lieutenant, Hill has been at Court Services, the Parks Unit, and now at the Independence substation.
“With the sheriff’s office, we periodically move around, so the command staff moves around probably every 2-3 years, sometimes four years, especially at the lieutenant level,” Hill explained. “We’ve got a number of different retirements coming in, and Major (Robert) Smith retired, so that whole trickle-down effect to kind of move. I usually spend about 18-24 months, sometimes 36, at different locations.”
Married with two children, Hill noted he always wanted to go into law enforcement after seeing his father, Roger Hill, serve for 33 years as a Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Now more than one month into his term in the township, Hill looks forward to what the future throws at him.
“I’d like to be here long term, but I also understand the needs of the sheriff’s office to keep us moving around,” said Hill. “As much as each position that I go to where I can see myself retiring from there, I understand by moving around it also keeps the agency fresh and also keeps the officers fresh.
“And that’s one tremendous advantage the sheriff’s office offers as opposed to a small municipality, the ability to move around with the ability to do different jobs.”