First Sgt. Chad Hill outside the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department Squad Room.

WARSAW — A man of many hats, First Sgt. Chad Hill is always doing something differently in his daily job. With two separate offices in one building, he is often moving from location to location to get his work done. “This is definitely not what I was planning, but I would never give it up,” Hill said.

Hill is the communications director for the 911 center in Kosciusko County. He oversees the city and county dispatch day-to-day, and handles communicating with the media by press releases and phone calls. He also handles the logistics for most vehicles for the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and works as a deputy.

At the dispatch center, Hill makes sure to create a workable environment for his employees. “We are a huge family, and we all know each other really well,” he said. When he showed up, he wanted to ensure “no matter how big we get, let’s never lose our sense of family.”

Hill’s day starts at 7 a.m., when he gets in his squad car. “I’ll start my day running daily logs, but from there it could go anywhere. I’ll be doing something different everyday.” Hill’s job is dependent on whatever is going on in the county on any given day.

As a corporal in the ’90s, Hill often filled in for dispatchers who were unavailable and later endeavored to become certified. Because of his familiarity with dispatching, Hill naturally moved into the position he is in now. “I knew I wasn’t going to make a lot of money, but its a calling I had.”

In addition to working as a communications manager, Hill often works as an on-call police officer whenever the Sheriff’s Department needs help. He takes a squad car home everyday in case he gets called out.

“What we really try to do is make sure we have good contact with people,” Hill said, “We have to maintain their access to law enforcement,” Hill said. “We try to be the best we can. We are a public servant.”

Hill’s job, like any job, has not come without sacrifices. “I’ve been very happy here, but there have been some horrible days,” Hill opened up. “Deaths are bad days. You do the job you have to do, but those can be rough. But my father always told me, ‘someone has to respond to these emergencies.'” Whether it’s EMS officials, or the sheriff’s department.

Another sacrifice Hill mentioned was sleep. “The road officers work 12 hour shifts,” Hill said, making it impossible to get in a regular sleeping habit.

“Having a wife who knows and understands is essential to the work I do,” Hill said. His wife, Jody, works for the prosecutor’s office, but used to be a state trooper. “When you get called, you get going, and she understands that,” Hill said. With her former experience, Jody has always supported her husband and his profession.

“Find something that you really, truly enjoy,” stated Hill. “You don’t want to end up doing a job you hate. Find something you love and do it.”