Ryan Radojcsics and James Berry will hit the road as new road deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.
The two were sworn in last week and previously served as corrections officers for the Richland County Jail. Maj. Dale Fortney stated, “They did outstanding as corrections officers and we expect that they’ll continue on a path to be outstanding road deputies.”
“It takes time to get to this point, but it’s finally coming together after all these years,” stated Radojcsics. The 35-year-old Clear Fork grad had previously worked with his father who owns Kris Radio Quality Kars Inc on Ashland Road in Mansfield. Serving in law enforcement is “something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, but I just never had the opportunity to,” he said.
About two-and-a-half years ago, however, Radojcsics received the inspiration he needed to pursue his dream when his best friend, Brandon Moore, a deputy in the Morrow County area, who was shot five times in line of duty. “I was in Columbus at the hospital after one of his dozens of surgeries and asked him, where do I get started, what do I do?” Soon after the incident, Radojcsics enrolled in the Marion Police Academy and graduated last year.
Berry, 21, gained firsthand experience in his current line of work from age 14 – 19, by joining the Richland County Sheriff’s Explorer program. This program is offered to those aged 14 – 20, who are interested in law enforcement.
“This has always been a passion of mine,” stated Berry, who pursued even more law enforcement training and education when he attended the North Central State College’s police academy. He has since graduated with his Associate’s degree in criminal justice, and is currently working on his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at the University of Tiffin.
The new road deputies will undergo 12 weeks of training through the Field Training Officer (FTO) program, after which they will be evaluated to see if they are qualify for solo patrol, “which we expect that they will be, and then released to solo duty,” stated Fortney.
