(A) Reserves; County Sheriff’s Reserve Unit.
(1) There is hereby established a County Police Reserve Unit. The purpose and functions of said Police Reserve Unit is to complement and support the County Police Department. Duly appointed members of the County Police Reserve Unit shall be known as a “Special Deputy Sheriff.”
(2) The County Sheriff is authorized, and may appoint, with the approval of the County Sheriff’s Merit Board, Special Deputy Sheriffs in such numbers as the Sheriff deems necessary to assist him or her in promoting the public safety and preserving the peace in and throughout the county. The Sheriff shall determine the length of time each appointment shall remain in effect, but in no event shall the duration of the appointment be extended past the appointing Sheriff’s own term of office.
(3) Such Special Deputy Sheriff shall have all of the same police powers as regular Deputy Sheriffs of the County Police Department, except as may be limited by the rules, regulations and directives of the County Police Department. Such limitations may be imposed collectively or individually. Further, the Sheriff is additionally free to adopt whatever rules, regulations and directives, from time to time, as he or she deems appropriate to govern the activities of such Special Deputy Sheriffs and may limit the authority of each such Special Deputy Sheriff as he or she deems appropriate including the limitations of the geographical area in which such police powers may be exercised.
(4) (a) The Sheriff shall fix the prerequisites of training, education and experience for such Special Deputy Sheriffs, subject to certain minimum requirements prescribed herein.
(b) Applicants must:
1. Be 21 years of age or over;
2. Never have been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude;
3. Be of good moral character;
4. Have sufficient training to ensure that proper performance of their authorized duties; and
5. Set out in writing their personal acknowledgment that as a Special Deputy they serve at the expressed pleasure of the County Sheriff, and that the individual’s commission as a Special Deputy Sheriff may be revoked by the County Sheriff, for any reason or for no given reason at all at any given time.
(5) Under no circumstances are such Special Deputy Sheriffs eligible to participate in the pension program provided for the regular members of the County Police Department.
(6) An individual may not be appointed as a Special Deputy Sheriff of the county police until such time that such person has completed the training and any probationary period which shall be deemed appropriate prior to the appointment by the rules, regulations and directives of the County Police Department.
(B) Sheriff’s Department and case reports.
(1) It is the intention of the County Board of Commissioners and the County Sheriff’s Department to otherwise comply with I.C. 5-14-3-5, as amended by Senate Enrolled Act No. 461, which states that the following information shall be made available for inspection and copying:
(a) The time, substance and location of all complaints or requests for assistance received by the agency;
(b) The time and nature of the agency’s response to all complaints or requests for assistance; and
(c) If the incident involves an alleged crime or infraction:
1. The name, time, date and location of occurrence;
2. The name and age of any victim, unless the victim is a victim of a crime under I.C. 35-42-4;
3. The factual description surrounding the incident; and
4. A general description of any injuries, property or weapons involved.
(2) The investigatory records of the County Sheriff’s Department, as defined by I.C. 5-14-3-2, currently maintained by County Sheriff’s Department and to be maintained thereby now and in the future, that are not specifically declared available for public inspection and copying by I.C. 5-14-3-5(c), as amended by Senate Enrolled Act No. 461, are hereby declared confidential and not available to the public unless otherwise allowed by state law.
(C) Retired law enforcement officers to retain service weapons.
(1) I.C. 7.1-2-2-11.5 permits retired law enforcement officers to retain service weapons, badges and identification cards with certain stipulations and conditions and it is in the best interest of the county to permit a retired Deputy Sheriff with at least 20 years of service as a law enforcement officer to retain his or her service weapon.
(2) In recognition of the officer’s service to the Sheriff’s Department and to the public, a retiring Deputy Sheriff is entitled to receive a badge that indicates that the officer is retired. Further, the officer who is retiring shall have an identification card stating the officer’s name and rank, signifying that the officer is retired and noting the officer’s authority to retain his or her service weapon, all as is provided by state code.
(3) This recognition of retired deputies by allowing them to retain their service weapon upon the conditions set forth herein and by state statute is prospective only.
(Ord. 92-16, passed 7-21-1992; Ord. 1995-12, passed 12-29-1995; Ord. 2016-04, passed 1-4-2016)