SHELBY — Keith Swisher found a way to weave two childhood dreams together.
While growing up in Akron, he wanted to pursue two goals: 1. Play soccer at the collegiate level; 2. Become a police officer.
Swisher’s path to fulfilling both dreams wasn’t a straight line.
However, years of hard work and perseverance granted him the chance to accomplish both aspirations.
First, he earned All-Ohio soccer honors in 1989 at Akron’s Ellet High School,
Now, after a 23-year career with the Shelby Police Department, Swisher retired from law enforcement. He was honored with a ceremony at the Shelby Justice Center on May 30.
In addition, he is the head coach of Shelby High School’s girls varsity soccer team — a program Swisher started in 2019.
He said he’s excited to calculate the next chapter of his life, while continuing to coach high school and youth soccer.
“To be able to say I retired from police work is one of those things I always wanted to do, too — to be alive and retire and be able to spend the rest of my life and enjoy it,” Swisher said.
Chasing childhood dreams
Throughout his youth, Swisher frequently saw his uncle, a police officer in Akron, in his police cruiser.
“It was just one of those things where I said ‘You know, that’s something I want to do someday. I want to be a policeman someday,'” he said.
“It was always from the time that I was a little guy, that I was always determined to become a police officer and chase that long-term goal.”
The Akron native said he wanted to “make the world a better place” after witnessing violence frequently during his youth.
When he was 17 years old, Swisher enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was stationed on the USS Carl Vinson — a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
He returned home to Akron four years later and began finding work. A call from Steve Parker changed everything.
At the time, Parker, who previously coached Swisher on an Olympic Youth Development soccer team, told him he was leaving his coaching post at Akron University. He was headed to coach at Ashland University.
Parker asked if Swisher still had a desire to pursue his dream.
“I just told him (Parker) on the phone ‘I’d sure love to come and check it out,'” Swisher said. “He offered me a scholarship as a result of that.”
Swisher played four seasons for the Eagles and graduated with degrees in criminal justice and sociology.
Swisher joined Shelby Police Dept. in 2001
Prior to joining the Shelby Police Department in 2001, Swisher spent nearly three years working at the Ashland County Juvenile Court.
He was also a member of the Richland County Allied Special Operations Response Team (ASORT) from 2004 to 2010. He also worked for 16 years as an evidence technician.
Serving as secretary for the Shelby Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 180 for 23 years, Swisher spent the past two years as Lodge 180’s president.
After approval from the Shelby Board of Education in 2017, Swisher became Shelby City Schools’ first student resource officer and DARE officer.
He worked the last seven years of his career as the district’s student resource officer, completing his service on May 30.
“The ups-and-downs, working night shift, day shift, summers, things like that. It was a great experience,” Swisher said.
Shelby soccer is ‘here to stay’
As a student resource officer, Swisher’s work hours aligned with student hours, giving him the chance to coach sports.
His passion for soccer sparked him to start the first girls soccer program in Shelby City Schools’ history in 2019. The squad played its first two seasons as a club sport and will enter its fourth varsity campaign during the 2024-2025 school year.
Swisher said starting the program wouldn’t have been possible without community support.
“I got everything started by going around and getting donations from local businesses,” he said. “Without their help, this would never have been possible.”
The Shelby coach also runs a youth soccer program in the city during the spring. He looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Jenny, and five children.
He thanked his family for providing a solid support system throughout his career.
“Everybody’s been always supportive of me and my job, dealing with having to work holidays and working around my schedule to make their schedule meet,” Swisher said.
“It’s been a great experience. Now I’m just ready to have some fun.”