Are you referring to the actor himself that plays Bill Hodges, or the character having an Irish Accent and working as policeman in the USA for over 30 years?

the latter. that clears that up. thanks.

@stugood said:

the latter. that clears that up. thanks.

There's a policeman in the town I grew up I met a few years ago who moved here from Belfast because his family is Catholic. He wanted to be a policeman but couldn't because of the fact that he's Catholic and just about everyone in the police department is Protestant. I asked him why he couldn't have moved to The Republic, but apparently it was easier to come to the U.S. to be a policeman here.

No, you don't need a degree to come to the U.S. for work.

And I LOVE the fact that this character is from Ireland, and I love his accent!

I guess he must had family in the US.