HAMPTON -- Police officer Richard Sawyer traded in one badge for another this past Friday afternoon when he was officially sworn in as captain for the Hampton Police Department.

Town Clerk Arleen Andreozzi swore in Sawyer in the selectmen's meeting room as his wife, Dawn, and 4-year-old daughter, Isabella, looked on.

"Now everyone knows why it takes me so long to get dressed in the morning," Sawyer joked as his wife, who is a sergeant at the Greenland Police Department, pinned on his new badge.

Sawyer joins Capt. Timothy Crotts as Chief Jamie Sullivan's second in commands.

While Crotts is in charge of the Administrative Service Bureau, Sawyer will command the day-to-day operations of the department.

The position became vacant earlier this month when Sullivan became chief of the department replacing Bill Wrenn who retired to become the new head of the state prisons.

"I'm very happy that I get to continue working with Chief Jamie Sullivan," Sawyer said. "I worked close with him when he was operations captain. Now I'm going to be taking over his role and I'm excited about the challenge."

Sullivan said Sawyer was the most suited to fill his former role.

"He was the perfect fit for the job," Sullivan said. "We are very excited and pleased to have him on the team and he's going to make the management team that much stronger," Sullivan said. "Lt. Sawyer is a very well respected and capable leader of the department. He is respected by the guys within the department and is a hardworking individual."

Sawyer joined the ranks of the Hampton Police Department in 1996.

He currently oversees the mounted patrol unit and is the team leader for the crisis negotiating squad of the Seacoast Emergency Response Team.

Sawyer started his career as a part-time police officer in Rye in 1989 and then a full-time officer for the North Hampton Police Department.

Over the years, he has received several commendations and awards for service above and beyond the call of duty.

He is a Winnacunnet High School graduate and recently completed his college degree at Springfield College.

He became a police officer after serving as a U.S. Marines Corps reservist.

"My father was a deputy U.S. Marshall so I always had an interest in law enforcement," Sawyer said. "I wanted to try it so I joined part-time and made up my mind that this is the career I wanted."

While he lives in Stratham with his wife and child, Sawyer said he considers Hampton his second home.

"I have either lived or worked in Hampton since 1979," Sawyer said. "I consider Hampton to be my home away from home."