Master Trooper Joe Swisher Retiring after 25-year career

By Joseph Slacian
jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com

Ask Joe Swisher why he wanted to become a police officer, the answer is quite different than one might expect.
“I have a saying that I created, and I really try to live by this: The uniform in policing is a doorway that opens to the
path of compassion,” he told The Paper of Wabash County. “I’ve always viewed this uniform as an opportunity to do
that, one that you wouldn’t have when you’re not wearing this uniform. Kids look at you every day. It’s like being in a
parade every day.
“It opens doors that wouldn’t be there. Doors to help somebody, to listen to somebody, to have heart and have
compassion.”
Swisher, who lives in rural Wabash County, will be hanging up his uniform on April 14, ending a 25-year career with
the Indiana State Police, the last 16 in Wabash County. He is retiring with the rank of Master Trooper.
He began his career serving at the Lowell post in Lake County. During his time in Lake County, he was assigned –
or, as he puts it, told to volunteer – to help the FBI with an undercover police and political corruption task force. His
work helped lead to the arrest of a Gary police officer who was charged with committing two murders while on duty.
“I absolutely loved working with the FBI,” Swisher said. “It took about a year of an investigation to arrest them. I got
on the job training. I was just a young trooper. They pulled me in and told me to volunteer and do this task force.
“I was like, what the heck. I’m game. I was thrust into a world I was not familiar with.”
While at the Lowell post, Swisher, a member of the Air National Guard, was called to active duty after the Sept. 11
attacks. He served in Kuwait and, while there, requested a transfer to Terre Haute, where his guard unit was
stationed, upon his return.
It was granted and he was stationed there until he requested transfer to the ISP’s Peru post. He wanted to learn to
become a boom operator on refueling missions, and that unit was stationed at Grissom Air Reserve Base.
“I went to boom operating school,” he said. “I was juggling two full-time careers.”
Serving as police officers runs in Swisher’s family. His two younger brothers also are officers.
“I grew up watching Andy Griffith,” he said. “I wanted to be like Andy Griffith; someone who is a part of the
community. People felt like they could approach him, talk to him, go to his house. I wanted to be like that.”
And that is how he tried to shape his career as a police officer.
“Every morning I would go to Speedway,” he said, adding with a laugh, “I was like the Speedway greeter. I would
drink my coffee and eat my breakfast pizza. I would just stand there by the door and say ‘Hi” to people.”
And that is one of the main things he will miss upon retirement.
“I’ll miss talking to the people,” he said. “I really appreciate the people here. Everybody waves. Everybody wants to
talk. That’s what I’m going to miss as a state trooper. It’s that sense of community.
“I’d park my car downtown and get out and walk around. I’d go talk to people. I was told a long time ago that half
the battle of being a police officer is just making people feel safe in their homes, making them feel safe in their
communities.
“Part of that is getting out of your car and going to talk to them. There’s nothing more important than that.”
Swisher admits that his career as a police officer has given him many experiences he might not otherwise have
had. In addition to the aforementioned undercover operation, other opportunities include working the various races at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, working a Ku Klux Klan rally, and working on security details for President Bill
Clinton and President Barack Obama.
Perhaps the thing Swisher is most proud of is the annual walk in memory of Master Trooper Dave Rich. Every year,
on July 5 (the anniversary of Rich’s death), Swisher walks from the ISP post in Peru to the site of Rich’s roadside
memorial on U.S. 24, near the entrance to Old U.S. 24.
“This was a pilgrimage for me,” Swisher said. “It was really important for me to think about things, to think about
Dave, to walk the same path that he went on his last day. I wanted to make a pilgrimage for Dave, to remember
Dave.”
But he also uses it as a way of healing for himself.
“I write down all the traumas I’ve seen on a piece of paper,” he said. “When I get to the cross, I burn the list. It was
very moving and symbolic for me to let go of all those traumas. I’ve been doing it every year since.”
And the pilgrimage is something Swisher intends to continue in retirement, even if “I’m by myself.”
After retirement, Swisher plans to spend time with his family. As a former photojournalist, he also plans to pick up
the camera again.
“I’ve been taking pictures with my phone as I go around the state,” he said. “What a beautiful state it is.”
In retirement, Swisher knows what he will miss the most – the people he’s interacted with the last 16 years.
“I want to thank them for letting me serve them,” he said. “What an honor it’s been. What a privilege it’s been, to
serve. It was my calling. It was my vocation, I think.
“I would have done it for nothing. That I get paid to do this is just a bonus.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *