The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Captain Richard Swisher was presented with his service revolver at a recent Randolph County Commission meeting. Taking part in the presentation were, front row from left, Deputy Jim Wolfe, Deputy Aaron Beverly, Swisher, Sheriff Rob Elbon, Senior Deputy Tyler Knotts, Deputy Lance Elbon; and back row from left, Commissioners Cris Siler, David Kesling and Chris See.

ELKINS — Retiring Randolph County Sheriff’s Office captain Richard Swisher was recognized for his more than 20 years of service during a recent Randolph County Commission meeting.

Swisher’s service revolver was presented to him by Sheriff Rob Elbon, with Deputies Jim Wolfe, Aaron Beverly, Tyler Knotts and Lance Elbon on hand for the presentation. 

“State code says if you have 20 years or more of service with one department of law enforcement, you get to keep your service weapon,” Elbon said. “Swisher’s weapon was a semi-automatic 9 mm pistol, and the one that he carried on duty is the one we gave him for his retirement.”

Elbon said Swisher played some very important roles while serving as captain of the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office.

“Swisher was our guy in charge of evidence. Once you go into the administrative line, like as a captain, you start getting specialty assignments, so Swisher took care of all of our evidence in the evidence locker,” Elbon said. “He took care of everything that came in from our arrests. And he also had a supervisor’s role on our shifts at night, where he was in control of everything.”

Elbon said he and everyone else who works with the Randolph County’s Sheriff’s Office is going to miss Swisher, who plans to move away from Elkins and spend his retirement in a much warmer location.

“He is just an overall good fellow who had good rapport with all the guys in the department,” Elbon said of Swisher. “He was easy to get along with, but a no-nonsense police officer. He had been in the ranks long enough that his ways were ‘old school’ as I would call it.

“He expected dedication and for everyone to give their best when they were out there. And that’s not a bad thing coming from the top of your ranks. He wanted the guys to do things right and to do it a certain way.”

Elbon said that Lieutenant B.A. Talkington is now in line to be promoted to captain.