Newly promoted Mansfield police captain deploying with Army guard
Mansfield police Lt. Randy Carver was promoted to the rank of captain Wednesday in Council Chambers but he will only be on the job for a month before a lengthy deployment with the Ohio Army National Guard.
The 43-year-old Carver said he will be leaving in about a month with his unit, the 148th Infantry Regiment of the Ohio Army National Guard, headquartered in Walbridge, Ohio. Once the deployment is complete Carver will resume his new duties with Mansfield police.
Carver started with the police department on Aug. 30, 2005, and was promoted to sergeant on May 6, 2013 and to lieutenant on Dec. 27, 2016.
A Mansfield native and 1997 Madison High School graduate, he joined the Army after high school.
He has served 23 years in the military and initially was on active duty for about two years in the U.S. Army before joining the Army national guard.
This will be his fourth long-term deployment, he said.
Carver has worked closely with all sections of police department
Carver said he takes great pride in his work with the Mansfield Police Department and said he has been fortunate to have been able to work for the police department and for his country.
He said he looks forward to his new role that had been held by Capt. Shari Robertson, who just retired after 28 years.
Carver told the media after the promotion ceremony he believes he was attracted to law enforcement after attending Mansfield Safety Town, the local program which is run by the police department for youngsters entering kindergarten.
"Growing up I always wanted to be a police officer and I wanted to be in the Army or Marines," he said.
He formerly served as commander of Mansfield police SWAT.
His new duties include supervising the Mansfield police detective bureau, writing grants and serving as the public information officer.
He said he will be writing grants with others on the department.
"It's a heavy burden that Shari carried. A lot of us are trying to pick that up," he said, noting he learned a lot from Robertson.
He has worked closely with every section in the police department.
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He is currently the administrative lieutenant in the office of the assistant police chief which includes a lot of paperwork, said Mansfield police Chief Keith Porch.
"At every step of Randy's career I've been proud of what he's done," Porch said.
Carver's wife Tosha and two daughters Delaney and Tory and grandchildren Bentley and Everleigh attended the ceremony along with Carver's parents, his wife's parents and other family members.
Members of SWAT also came to celebrate his promotion as well as a couple members of the Army guard unit he is deploying with who made the trip to Mansfield. Former and current members of the police force also packed the room for the ceremony and traditional cake and punch.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
419-521-7223
Twitter: @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield police Capt. Randy Carver serves his community and country
