Watertown officer restores a piece of policing history

Parked in the lot behind the Watertown police station is a relic of the past, an old 1991 Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser.

The cruiser, which was used for policing in Arizona, looks brand-new. No one would suspect that a little over a year ago this Crown Vic was in rough shape, covered in chipped paint and barely working.

Officer Michael Hill bought the car in 2018 and has spent the past year restoring the cruiser to its original state.

Born a car guy

Hill remembers having an interest in cars as a kid and said he has always been a car guy. In college, Hill worked at Perfection Auto Body on Pleasant Street, where he picked up the knowledge and mechanical skills needed to do car restorations.

Hill’s interest in restoring old police cars also ties back to his childhood. His father was an officer for the Newton Police Department and, as a kid, Hill would go to the station and play in the old Ford cruisers.

The Arizona cruiser is not the first police car that Hill has restored. He got the idea a few years ago at an event that showcased restored police cruisers.

“I remember seeing the old cars and thinking that is a good idea,” he said.

At the time Hill worked in the Boston Sheriff’s Department, so he bought an old Boston cruiser. Restoring the car took about a year and, after finishing it, Hill sold the cruiser to a collector in New Hampshire.

This article was originally published by the Watertown TAB September 25, 2019. Read the full article here: https://watertown.wickedlocal.com/news/20190925/watertown-officer-restores-piece-of-policing-history