The community expects Law Enforcement Officers, especially upper-level managers, to be above reproach in character and integrity, and that starts with the Sheriff. Leaders in Law Enforcement must set the example.

I retired from the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department in 2008 after 26 years of impeccable service. I served 20 of those 26 years as the Undersheriff of St. Joseph County. My passion to continue to serve the residents of St. Joseph County remains very strong. Since retiring from the Sheriff’s Department I have served three years on the Centreville Village Council, seven years as a County Commissioner on the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners, four years of which I was elected as Chairman of the Board. I am currently the Chairman of the Sheriff’s Department’s law enforcement committee and have been since becoming a County Commissioner in 2017. I also serve on the county 9-1-1 Board as well as the Roads Committee Board.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Criminal Justice from Chaminade University of Hawaii. I served 6 years 2 months in the United States Marine Corps as a Military Policeman and Criminal Investigator and returned home to St. Joseph County after being Honorably Discharged in 1981. I began my civilian law enforcement career with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department in 1982. I was the pioneer of many law enforcement initiatives during my service with the department. Some of those include: Creation of the St. Joseph County Major Crimes Task Force, creation of the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics (SCAN) unit, creation of the department’s Multi-Jurisdictional Special Response Team, construction and renovation of the department’s corrections and administrative buildings, and equipped our officers with state-of-the-art equipment through various state and federal grants.

While Undersheriff, I was asked by the then Sheriff and sitting county commissioners to serve as Interim Director for the St. Joseph County 911 Central Dispatch and Interim Director of St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation. I was also asked to serve as Acting Chief of Police of the Constantine Police Department. All these agencies were experiencing turmoil and I was trusted to assume those roles at different times to “get the agencies back on the tracks” and through tough times.