A Texas man just celebrated his 70th birthday, but it doesn't mean much to him.
"It's a number," Officer Roy Mitchell told WPXI.
Mitchell has been on patrol with the Arlington Police Department for 36 years. Before that, he spent time at three other agencies.
This week he turned 70, but he has no plans to retire any time soon.
"As long as I'm still in good health and my wife is still working full time, I don't see any reason to retire," Mitchell said. "And as long as Arlington police will let me work, I'm gonna work."
When asked about why he didn't move into a desk job or less physically demanding work, Officer Mitchell said that patrol was the only place he ever wanted to work.
"It's the excitement," he said. "(It) makes me proud to put this uniform on and walk around this town. I've been doing it all my adult life – ever since I was 21."
Even so, Mitchell admitted there's only so much excitement he can take these days: "I like to tell the story that I still get into a lot of foot pursuits. I just never catch anybody. But I do have a good time."
