"Ralph Sawmick was a police officer first and foremost. When I first met Ralph he was the police captain of the Tribal Police Department. Back then, there was Ralph and Joe Kequom and they both worked 24 hours a day as needed.

As a junior employee of the Isabella County Sheriff's Department, I worked mostly night shifts. Ralph would frequently show up at the restaurants where many police officers would eat their evening meals. We would talk about leads to criminal complaints that each department was working on. Ralph and Joe both worked hard to keep working relationships with all the other departments.

I can't count the number of times when I was dispatched to domestic problem in various areas of the county; we all worked one-man shifts back at that time.

I would turn the last corner to the address; I would find Ralph or Joe sitting in their police car, their lights out, waiting for me. As I approached their car, more times then not they would be smiling their big shy smiles, knowing I understood they were there for my safety and backup. We could always count on both of them."

Get the Story:
Ken Beeson: A tribute to Ralph Sawmick (The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun 8/31)