The Inter-Mountain photo by Brad Johnson The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office released its 2024 trading cards this week. Several members of the RCSO visited The Inter-Mountain offices this week, including, from left, Sgt. Danny Pennington, Cpl. Ethan Carr, Sr. Deputy Aaron Channell, Deputy Rocky Hebb, Sheriff Rob Elbon, Chief Deputy Brad Sharp and, front row, ‘rookie’ K9 officer Nikki, posing next to a set of deputy trading cards.

ELKINS — Randolph County Sheriff Rob Elbon is always looking for ways for members of the Sheriff’s Office to bond with area youth, and last year he and some of his fellow deputies came up with a plan they hoped would work.

The Sheriff’s Office took a chance on printing out a group of trading cards that featured 18 different deputies and the department’s K-9 officer, Twix. The plan was for deputies to hand out the cards while visiting schools or when they ran into children at public events.

The response to the cards was overwhelming and led to the Sheriff’s Office coming out with a 2024 edition of the cards, which was released just this week.

“The kids love them. Even after we gave them all out last year, they kept asking us if we had any more,” Elbon told The Inter-Mountain. “We would be out in public somewhere and they would come running up and ask you if you had any cards. We hated it that we didn’t have any more to give them when we ran out of the ones for 2023.”

Elbon said the 2024 edition of the cards, which were again designed at Emblazon Sign Company in Elkins, feature a photo of an officer on the front and their information on the back. There are 18 different deputies on the cards, including Elbon, and both K-9 officers, Twix and Nikki. 

“We ordered about the same amount of cards as we did last year,” Elbon said. “We added the extra dog and a new deputy that missed out last time. Twix was probably the most sought-after card from the kids last year. Rocky (Hebb) and the other two PRO Officers, Daniel Pennington and Ethan Carr, were gone pretty fast too, because they are going into all the schools and stuff. Everywhere they went kids were asking them for their cards.”

Surprisingly, Elbon said that quite a few middle school and high school students were asking for the cards last year as well.

“They would be out at the high school and middle school basketball and football games and the students would come up and ask for them,” he said. “A lot of the middle school kids were trying to collect the whole set.”

Elbon said the cards helped do the one thing he hoped they would do — build relationships with area children.

“We felt like it was a big hit and gave us good rapport with the kids,” Elbon said. “The kids just love it and it’s an avenue for them to approach us and not be afraid. They always have a big smile on their face when they get them.”

Members of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office will continue to visit area grade schools and distribute the cards to students throughout the school year.