Some people only know me from my 33 years with the Tipp City Police Department. Some only know me now through my job with the Sheriff’s Office. What many may not be aware of is my service with the Randolph Township Police Department from 1974 to 1978.

Randolph Township is now the City of Clayton, which is in northern Montgomery County and has within its borders the Cities of Englewood and Union. The school district is Northmont to give a better idea of where Clayton is located.

After graduating Sinclair College, I went on to the University of Dayton. Right after graduating Sinclair in 1974 I started as a dispatcher for Randolph Township. In 1976 I became a full time police officer for the township until one month shy of my third year as a RTPD Officer I started at Tipp City PD.

Recently a Randolph Township Officer I worked with back in the 1970’s posted a photograph of the RTPD on a social media site. Let me tell you the memories started flooding back. In the photograph were a lot of the members I worked with at the time. The group was standing in the parking lot of the Police Department which at the time was on the second floor of the Street Garage.

After the great blizzard of 1978 I was unable to get home after working 24 hours so I slept on the floor of the police department using some old police winter coats as a blanket. Having slept all day, I learned upon waking that my dad had walked the quarter mile from his home to the police station with a big pot of chili. Of course it was gone when I awoke.

In this picture posted by Don Parker were several people I had lost contact with when I went to Tipp City, a different county than what most of them worked in. So what happened to them? Don Parker became a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy and retired from there and now works for the National Weather Bureau.

Chief Rod Scott who was a Montgomery County Deputy on assignment to the Township later started a Private Security Company. I heard that he later sold school books.

Sgt. Wayne Black went to work and became the head of security for a Fortune 500 Company. I saw him on 60 minutes 15 years ago but have not seen him since.

Corporal David Casey who was my Field Training Officer, which at that time meant a week patrolling with him. Casey eventually went to work as a regional supervisor for CSX Rail Road.

LA Vaughn Miller became a deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. He also was a member of the Harrison Township Fire Department, Shiloh Station as well as Chief Richard Elsner and I.

Chief Elsner was not in the picture but he also was a sergeant with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and after he retired, he purchased a condo in Florida and rented it out.

Patrolman Doug Gibson went to work for the Dayton Journal Herald. Doug had worked for them and took a leave of absence to try his hand at police work but found the money was too good not working for a governmental agency.

Patrolman Keith Lowery went to work for the Miami County Sheriff’s Office then went to the Montgomery County SO and is now retired.

Phil Schafer also went to work for the Miami County Sheriff’s Office and retired from there after stints as School Resource Officer and Detective.

One officer in the photo went to Dayton PD and later suffered severe depression and took his own life.

The other officers in the photograph went on to other jobs but I never heard what they were doing.

Of the Dispatchers, John Starr went to work at the Tipp City Police Department even before I did and then finished his career at Vandalia PD.

Jenny Key became a dispatcher for the Ohio State Patrol and I still talk to her sometimes in my job here at the SO.

Francie Dixon also went to work for the Ohio State Patrol and had moved up in the ranks.

So overall, out of the members of the Randolph Township Police Department that I had the pleasure of working with, most went on to very successful careers in law enforcement. Other than me personally, they were a very intelligent group of people. Thank you all for your service and the memories.

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