Lansing - Growing up in Oscoda, Ray Hall’s favorite TV show was “Hill Street Blues.”

The early ’80s police drama show helped influence Hall’s decision to enter law enforcement.

Hall, who is serving his last day as a lieutenant with the Lansing Police Department, will be promoted to captain within the department on Saturday.

“I thought it would be cool having a job where I got to catch people and help people out,” he said.

Hall received his degree in criminal justice from Northern Michigan University and attended its police academy .

Hall said though his parents weren’t thrilled with his career choice, they supported him.

“They didn’t cheerlead, they tried to talk me out of it,” he said. “An engineer or a pilot; those were the types of career fields they wanted me to choose - one that paid more and was perhaps less dangerous.”

In 1985, Hall started on road patrol with the Plymouth Township Police Department. After two years he left to join Lansing’s police department, where he has been ever since.

When Hall first came to Lansing, he was assigned to the midnight shift, where he became part of the first group of community policing officers in Lansing.

“What we were doing to fight crime wasn’t working,” he said. “The police were viewed as an occupying army.”

Hall recalled an incident early in his career when he realized a lot of people disliked the police.

“I arrested a man and I’ll never forget the anger he had toward me, not because it was me, but because I was a cop,” he said. “He used words I’d never heard in such a steady stream. I could tell by the look in his eyes he hated the police - and I realized he wasn’t the only one with anger toward the police.”

Hall said the new approach of working with the community drastically reduced crime.

“I wasn’t arresting two people a day like I had been on the midnight shift,” he said. “Crime kept falling.”

Hall was promoted to sergeant in 1996, when he worked as one of four supervisors in the jail. Then in 1998, he was promoted to lieutenant within the Central Services Division, working as the public information officer.

Lansing police Chief Mark Alle, said he had many reasons for recommending Hall’s promotion to captain.

“He is a very innovative person,” he said. “He is a person that has the interest of Lansing at the top of his mind.”

Sgt. Jay Varney has worked under Hall for two years and said one of the reasons he transferred into Hall’s division was he felt they could work well together.

“He’s willing to try some things and fail, and then try again,” he said.

Hall said he would recommend law enforcement for anyone looking for excitement.

“I’ve seen dark lifestyles that I had no idea existed,” he said. “But I’ve also seen the best of human compassion.”