After patrolling various recesses of the state including San
Luis Obispo, San Jose, Monterey and the southern reaches of
California in El Centro
–
”
between ‘no’ and ‘where,’
”
as Dave Hill puts it, the longtime Gilroy resident and
California Highway Patrol interim commander wouldn’t mind shifting
his territory to the home front
– for good.
After patrolling various recesses of the state including San Luis Obispo, San Jose, Monterey and the southern reaches of California in El Centro – “between ‘no’ and ‘where,’ ” as Dave Hill puts it, the longtime Gilroy resident and California Highway Patrol interim commander wouldn’t mind shifting his territory to the home front – for good.
Hill joined the CHP in 1985 and has been living in the Garlic Capital since 1987.
In January 2010, Hill was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant and was assigned to the CHP Coastal Division Office in San Luis Obispo, staying in Atascadero during the work week and coming home to Gilroy each weekend. On April 1, he returned to the Hollister-Gilroy CHP office to transition to interim commander in preparation for the May 1 retirement of Hollister-Gilroy CHP Captain Tim Saxon, who has held his post since January 1, 2010.
“It would be awesome to do,” said Hill, on the possibility of becoming the permanent CHP commander and not having to make the 2.5 hour commute between Gilroy and Atascadero each weekend. “That’s the dream, that’s the goal. I’ve grown up in this community. It’s my responsibility to do right by them.”
It’s difficult to gauge when exactly the new commander will be hired, Hill said, but it could be around September or October.
Jaime Rios, CHP public information officer, explained budget strains keep it unclear as to when exactly the position will be filled permanently.
“Normally they would start looking for a commander immediately,” said Rios. “But with the way the budget is, they have to open up the position and look for somebody to promote.”
As it is, Hill noted CHP expects to lose 300 uniformed personnel in June. This contributes to one of his concerns for the future – when reduced staffing may keep officers in “response mode” versus “proactive mode.”
Rios said the position will be available to all qualified personnel within the state, but he’s hoping the process doesn’t become too drawn out. Stability and relationships formed by the same officers working with the same people in the community is good, he said.
A firmly established network of friends, connections and colleagues – not to mention accountability to the community he calls home, is something Hill noted he can bring to the table.
“We were all officers working the drunk watch together in the late ’80s and early ’90s,” he laughed, name dropping familiar locals such as GPD Capt. Kurt Svardel, who is also the 2011 Gilroy Garlic Festival president.
Overseeing a territory defined by a cluster of tight-knit communities keeps things familiar, Hill said, especially compared to working in San Jose where the area of coverage is huge.
There you could go to 15 different scenes and see a different agency at each one, where as “down here, you’re seeing the same people and over that time you’ve built up friendships with them,” he said.
For Hill, Rios added, “He’s got roots down here. This is his home. Dave has been around. People know him.”
If he’s “blessed enough” to make the list of candidates being considered for permanent commander, Hill said he would love to finish up his career in Gilroy – not to mention spending more time with his wife and their five kids, all of whom attend school in Gilroy.
“I’m going to be working for a while,” he joked.
Traffic maintenance, is at times, even is a family affair: All five of Hill’s children have volunteered alongside their dad at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
Hill has been involved with directing, running and coordinating CHP’s involvement with the Garlic Festival for 10 years beginning 1988 – a scenario he describes as a “controlled zoo.” Aside from the 1994 and 1995 festivals when Hill was working out of the area, 2010 was the first time he wasn’t at the helm, helping to conduct the sea of coming and going cars.
For the 50-year-old interim commander, spending more time with his wife and kids – the youngest of which is 9 – plus patrolling the highways of his hometown stomping grounds during the work week, is an attractive possibility.
“We’ve grown up with the city,” he said. “If our family wasn’t so enmeshed in South County and liking this area, we could move. But uprooting the kids, everything – schools, church, sports, friends … being here full time now would be nice.”
