By Brett Gillin
Joyce Dixon began working with the Baltimore Police Department in 1965. There is a fine chance that on her first day on the job, she drove her car to the gas station and filled up the tank, paying around 31 cents a gallon. Then, she hopped behind the driver’s seat, popped on the radio, and heard a brand new song by The Beatles. The news was talking about the crazy idea that some day, man might take a walk across the moon’s surface. But Joyce was only concerned about her new job in the Baltimore Police Department’s Central Records Division.
As every police officer knows, the civilian men and women who work side by side with the officers play a vital role in aiding the everyday work that officers do. Without them, almost nothing that officers do would run nearly as smoothly, and too often, their hard work goes unnoticed by the general public. That’s why it’s such a great story to hear that the Baltimore Police Department is doing everything they can to help honor Joyce Dixon and her work.
Joyce Dixon was recently honored by the police department with a certificate, commemorating her unbelievable 50 year career with the police department, according to this story on WBAL TV. Reporters from WBAL asked when she was planning on retiring, and the 68 year-old Dixon didn’t seem to want to quit any time soon.
“When the mood hits me, I guess I’ll know it,” Dixon told reporters. “I still enjoy what I do. That’s why I’m still here.”
Dixon followed a path that her father laid out before her, as he spent 27 years as a police officer in Baltimore. While he retired as a lieutenant, his daughter has continued the proud family tradition of serving the community that they love.
Dixon was just 18 when she began working with the police department, and her 50 years on the job haven’t changed her can-do attitude or made her want to stand out from her coworkers. “My hours are 6 to 2,” Dixon told reporters from CBS. “I’m a supervisor in the expungement section and I do the work, just like everybody else.”
When asked to think back to her first day on the job, Dixon told reporters “I can’t remember my first day, but it was exciting because my father was a police officer and it was just exciting to be where he worked.” She continued “I’ve had a good run and I enjoy it very much. That’s why I’m still here. I found a home and lots of friends.”
