Wikipedia

Lake County Sheriff's Department (Indiana)

The Lake County Sheriff's Department is the county law enforcement agency for Lake County, Indiana.

Lake County Sheriff's Department
AbbreviationLCSD
Agency overview
Formed1837; 187 years ago (1837)
Employees494
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionLake County, Indiana, United States
Jurisdiction of Lake County Sheriff's Department
SizeTotal 627 sq mi (1,623 km2)
- Land 499 sq mi (1,292 km2)
- Water 128 sq mi (330 km2)
Population496,005 (2010)
Legal jurisdictionLake County, Indiana
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters2293 North Main Street
Crown Point, Indiana
Merit officers168 (police officers)
170 (corrections officers)
Civilian employees156
Agency executives
  • Oscar Martinez, Jr.[1], Sheriff
  • Vincent M. Balbo[2],
    Chief of Police
  • Edward G. Jenkins[3],
    Deputy Chief of Police
Facilities
Police Boats7
Helicopters3
Website
Lake County Sheriff's Website

History

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The first sheriff was elected in 1837, when Lake County was organized.

Notorious gangster John Dillinger was held in the Lake County jail from January 1934 to March, when he escaped.[4] The sheriff at the time was Lillian Holley, who held the office after the previous sheriff, her husband Roy, was shot and killed: although the media mocked her for Dillinger's escape, the fault lay with the prison warden and his officers.[5]

In 1975, the Sheriff was found in contempt for failing to improve conditions at the jail.[6]

In 1985, Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei was indicted on corruption charges.[7] Bartolomei later turned state witness and was placed in witness protection after providing testimony against several Lake County political figures.[8][9]

In 1990 the burned body of a deputy and his wife were found in a car in Gary, Indiana. The deputy was due to testify in a federal racketeering trial against a Merrillville town councilman.[10]

In 2016, Sheriff John Buncich was indicted on federal public corruption and bribery charges. His chief deputy and another person were also named in the charges.[11]

In 2021, officers of the Crown Point, Indiana police department began to pursue a vehicle for speeding 90 mph in a posted 45 mph zone. The vehicle was being driven by Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr., who activated the emergency lights on the vehicle, after which the police stopped their pursuit. The county commissioners soon sent a letter to the county prosecutor asking for an investigation into alleged misuse of county vehicles. In January 2022, Martinez was indicted on charges of resisting law enforcement and reckless driving.[12][13] Martinez called the indictment a "witch hunt" and nevertheless ran for office in the 2022 election.[14] In February 2024, Martinez pleaded guilty to reckless driving, a misdemeanor, in exchange for a felony charge of resisting law enforcement to be dropped by prosecutors and was sentenced to sixty days probation.[15]

Organization

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The Lake County Sheriff's Department employs 168 sworn police officers, 170 sworn corrections officers and 156 civilians under the sheriff's direction.[16]

The command staff includes a chief of police and four commanders, each responsible for a division, who are assisted by deputy commanders. The Corrections Division is led by a chief warden, an assistant warden and three deputy wardens.[17]

  • Staff Services Division consists of the Bureau of Information, Bookkeeping, Human Resources, Property/Evidence Management, Telecommunications, Training and Vehicle Maintenance Operations.[18]
  • Civil Division is charged with serving summons, subpoenas, evictions and writs of the Lake County Superior and Circuit courts as well as from other jurisdictions.[19]
  • Corrections Division operates the Lake County Jail and administers the Work Release Program designed as an alternative to incarceration for non-violent offenders.[20] The modern Lake County Jail opened in 1975 in a five-floor facility with 286 beds. In 1991, capacity was increased to 460 beds and additions in 2000 provided for a total of 1,085 beds.[16] A Special Operations Response Team (SORT) is utilized in controlling inmate disturbances and restoring order in emergency situations.
  • Criminal Investigations Division comprises the General Assignment, Auto Theft, Special Victims Unit, and Warrant units as well as the Crime Laboratory and officers assigned to multi-jurisdictional task forces.[21]
  • Uniform Division primarily provides police service to the unincorporated areas of the county and in the town of Winfield which does not have an established police department.[22] This division also maintains an organized Bicycle Unit as well as a Traffic Unit which utilizes both patrol vehicles and motorcycles for enforcement and has trained accident reconstructionists. The Court Security Unit provides security at all county courts located at the Lake County Government Center and at facilities in East Chicago, Gary and Hammond.

The department also has a number of Special Operations Units with specifically trained personnel assigned for Aquatics Underwater Recovery and Rescue, Aviation, Bomb Squad, Chaplains, K-9, Marine, Tactical (SWAT) and a mobile communications Command Center.[23]

Aircraft

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The Lake County Sheriff's Department has three helicopters used for law enforcement in the county and for assistance to local police agencies. They are maintained by the Aviation Unit and are operated from the Griffith-Merrillville Airport in Griffith, Indiana.

According to FAA records, the helicopters currently registered to the agency include a Bell OH-58A N512LC,[24] a Bell OH-58A N513LC[25] and a Eurocopter EC120B N516RD.[26]

Demographics

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Demographics[27]
Male 93%
Female 7%
White 71%
African-American 16%
Hispanic 13%
Asian 0%

Fallen officers

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In the history of the Lake County Sheriff's Department, seven officers have been killed in the line of duty.[28]

Name Date of death Age Tenure Cause of death
Deputy Sheriff George R. Zorodny March 14, 1930 38 1 year Motorcycle accident
Sheriff Roy F. Holley January 17, 1933 43 2 years Gunfire
Special Deputy Sheriff Charles E. McKinney March 21, 1984 51 10 years Gunfire
Sergeant William G. Paterson January 25, 1994 44 18 years Vehicular pursuit
Deputy Paul W. Mitchell June 12, 1999 24 1 year Automobile accident
Deputy Chief Gary L. Martin August 22, 2006 63 28½ years Bicycle accident
Correctional Officer Britney R. Meux March 6, 2012 25 3 years Vehicular assault

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bill Dolan (September 16, 2017). "New Lake County Sheriff Martinez credited experience, Hammond support for victory". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  2. ^ "Chief of Police biography". Lake County Sheriff's Department. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  3. ^ "Deputy Chief of Police biography". Lake County Sheriff's Department. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  4. ^ Girardin, G. Russell (2005). Dillinger : the untold story. William J. Helmer, Rick Mattix (Expanded ed. / prepared with the assistance of Rick Mattix ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21633-8. OCLC 58797614.
  5. ^ Schulz, Dorothy Moses (2004). Breaking the brass ceiling : women police chiefs and their paths to the top. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. pp. 116–117. ISBN 0-313-05215-8. OCLC 57435768.
  6. ^ Clearinghouse Review. Vol. 9. National Clearinghouse for Legal Services. 1975. p. 280.
  7. ^ "Lake County Sheriff Indicted On Corruption Charges". AP NEWS. 1985-03-04. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  8. ^ "THE CASE OF THE SINGING SHERIFF". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  9. ^ Davich, Jerry (2017). Crooked politics in Northwest Indiana. Charleston, SC: History Press. ISBN 1-4396-6009-3. OCLC 1002476801.
  10. ^ "BODIES MAY BE DEPUTY, WIFE". Chicago Tribune. 1990-01-16. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  11. ^ "Lake County Sheriff John Buncich and Portage Indiana Mayor James Snyder Indicted Separately on Public Corruption Charges | United States Department of Justice". edit.d9.justice.gov. 2016-11-18. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  12. ^ "Indiana Sheriff Charged With Fleeing Police Who Were Trying to Pull Him Over for Speeding". NBC Chicago. 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  13. ^ "Judge: Criminal case can proceed against NW Indiana sheriff". WFYI Public Media. 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  14. ^ Reese, Sarah. "Indictment looms over race for Lake County sheriff". nwitimes.com. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  15. ^ Lizzie Kaboski (February 5, 2024). "Lake County sheriff pleads guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  16. ^ a b History of the Lake County Sheriff's Department Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Command Staff of the Lake County Sheriff's Department
  18. ^ Administrative Services Division overview Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Civil Division overview Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Corrections Division overview Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ Criminal Investigations Division overview Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ Uniform Division overview Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ Special Operations Units overview Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ "FAA Registry (N512LC)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  25. ^ "FAA Registry (N513LC)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  26. ^ "FAA Registry (N516RD)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  27. ^ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers Archived 2006-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  28. ^ "Indiana Law Enforcement Memorial". Indiana Law Enforcement Memorial. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
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