Ironton police officer promoted to sergeant – The Tribune

By Terry L. Hapney, Jr.
The Ironton Tribune

An Ironton man who dreamed of becoming a first responder since he was a teenager received a promotion with the Ironton Police Department.
Ironton Mayor Sam Cramblit and Police Chief Dan Johnson promoted Robert Fouch from patrol officer to sergeant.
Fouch has been on the force for eight years and said he always wanted the position of sergeant so he could gain more hands-on experience working with new officers.
“I’m thrilled to finally reach this position,” Fouch said.
Fouch began his career in South Point and worked briefly in Coal Grove and New Boston. He joined the Ironton Police Department in 2021.
Fouch’s passion for the first responder profession began at a young age. He had family members who were “on the wrong side of the law.”
“I learned a lot of examples of not wanting to be part of that lifestyle,” he said. “That led me into the field of first responders.”
Fouch has older cousins ​​who were volunteer firefighters. When he turned 15, they took him to join the fire department.
“I always had it in the back of my mind that I would do something related to first aid,” he said.
As Fouch grew older, he began training in wrestling and jiu-jitsu and met many police officers, including his captain, Chad Gue.
“One day he looked at me and said, ‘Dude, you need to be a cop,'” Fouch said. “From then on, he’s been going full throttle.”
Originally from Huntington, Fouch said the most rewarding part of his job — aside from “coming home every night” — is helping everyone else and giving back.
“It sounds like a cliché answer, but I’ve never met a police officer who didn’t feel that way,” he said. “It’s always a way of giving back. It’s more than a job. It’s really a lifestyle.”
Fouch said this week has been a difficult one for the Ironton Police Department due to the loss of “our beloved employee Cindy (Prater).”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family,” he said.
According to Chief Johnson, Fouch is “one of the better recruits we’ve had in a long time.”
“He deserves the promotion,” Johnson said. “He’s very level-headed. He’s older than a lot of the officers we have now. He’s 33, which doesn’t seem very old. We have a lot of young officers these days.”
Johnson said Fouch coached his 18-year-old son in wrestling during his senior year at Ironton.
“He did a fantastic job,” Johnson said.
Fouch’s wife Devin and his children Addy, Kiki and Ryker attended the ceremony to witness the promotion of their husband and father.