For more than three decades, Mark Ralston and Vance Lipscomb donned the uniform of the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department. They officially suited up for the last time on Friday, announcing their retirement from the department.
Each logged more than 30 years, rising through the ranks to both attaining the title of chief deputy.
“It comes to a point where all of us retire,” Sheriff Perry Palmer said.
“These guys have been with me for all my terms, and I owe a lot to both of them – their professionalism and their work ethic when you’re dealing with 100-and-some people – there’s no way I’d be able to do it myself.”
Alongside Palmer, Lipscomb, who logged 33 years with the department, handled civilian operations and Ralston, with 35 years, handled the law enforcement side.
Palmer attributed much of the department’s success to the partnership among the three of them.
“I wouldn’t be able to do it like I do now without them,” he said. “It’s something that’s made this department what it is. And I’m sure the citizens appreciate that too, knowing they have this kind of longevity – people that stay around and stick around.
“Everybody should be proud of them and what they’ve done with this department and moving it forward.”
Since the 90s, all three have worked their way up through the ranks as the department grew and changed.
Ralston was Palmer’s supervisor on the afternoon shift when the sheriff first started with the department and Lipscomb rode with Palmer when he got out of the police academy.
In the mid-90s, they became part of the department’s first Special Response Team (SRT) or SWAT team under former sheriff the late Joe Bartolo.
Their journey has gone from an aging building with two computers that once housed the sheriff’s department to the state-of-the-art facility they now have. They didn’t even have portable radios when they started.
“And then we got two to use among all three shifts,” Ralston laughed.
Through all the changes and advancements in the department, they remained steadfast in their commitment.
“I’ve grown up here. This has been my entire life, so it’s bittersweet,” Lipscomb said. “You always long for this to happen, but when it gets here it’s a little surreal because technically this will be the last day we wear a uniform.”
“The three of us have been together over half of our lives, coming up through together, it’s different. So, it’s more than just a job,” Ralston said. “Like Vance said, it’s bittersweet. This is all we know. I mean I was 21 when I started here.”
Looking back, Lipscomb and Ralston agreed it was the people around them that allowed them to advance in their careers.
“I appreciate the sheriff and everything he’s done,” Lipscomb said. “Sheriff Bartolo, Sheriff [Al] Kisner, everybody’s been instrumental in allowing us to gain training – and not just regular training, specialized training – that benefits the citizens of the county and us as well.
“You make a lot of good friends when you start thinking back through the years and the statewide connections and national connections. You really make a lot of good friends throughout this type of employment.”
“We didn’t just get here. We’ve had so many great people that have come through here. As each sheriff has come on they’ve taken over and improved upon what the last sheriff has done,” Ralston said.
“There are a lot of very good, professional deputies and civilian employees in this place and that’s thanks to Sheriff Palmer and built upon by everything his predecessor did and all down the line.”
They also acknowledged the sacrifices their families have made over the years. As police officers, they have had to spend a lot of time away from family while carrying the inevitable mental baggage of the job, which can make family life difficult at times.
Neither Ralston nor Lipscomb has set plans for the future because, while they are technically retiring, the band isn’t breaking up just yet.
“I consider them more than work people, they’re my friends, we do a lot of stuff together,” said Palmer, who has six months remaining on his term as sheriff. “I am going to reclassify them to the end of my term as law enforcement administrator and civilian administrator.”
So, the three will likely end their journey together in December.
“Sheriff Palmer has extended us this offer and it’s only fitting after all of us have worked together for so long that we all go out at the same time,” Ralston said.
“And I’m grateful that they stick around for another six months,” Palmer added, “it would be tough without them.”
