Menu
'Impressive' ISP credentials for chief deputy
Revealing what he has called the "best-kept secret of the past several months," Putnam County Sheriff-elect Scott Stockton has announced the identity of his chief deputy.
Phillip A. Parker, a 29-year veteran of the Indiana State Police, will serve as Stockton's chief deputy when the new sheriff assumes office on Jan. 1.
"So many people have asked me, 'who's your chief deputy going to be?'," Stockton said Tuesday night before revealing his selection to the Banner Graphic once the polls had closed and the tally had begun.
"He comes with an impressive pedigree," Stockton said of Parker as the 2014 general election vote totals were being posted on the other side of the second-floor lobby at the courthouse.
A native of Greene County, Parker graduated from Worthington-Jefferson High School in 1981. After attending Ball State University, he was appointed to the Indiana State Police in November 1985.
Parker was initially assigned to the Redkey District, where he served as a trooper and squad sergeant until August 1996 when he was promoted to first sergeant at general headquarters.
In 1998, Parker transferred to the State Police Human Resources Division where he was promoted to lieutenant in January 2000 and captain in August 2000.
In June 2002, the new Putnam County chief deputy was promoted to major to serve as the commander of the Human Resources Division where his duties included planning, coordinating and directing department-wide human resource programs for all personnel. His responsibilities included employee benefits, attendance, trooper and Capitol Police Section selection processes, the police promotion system and the civilian hiring/promotion system.
In April 2008, Parker was promoted to lieutenant colonel to serve as deputy superintendent of enforcement for the Indiana State Police during Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration.
As third in command of the Indiana State Police, his responsibilities included overseeing the daily operation of the department to include criminal and traffic enforcement, budget and hiring police and civilian employees and executive-level oversight of the following department functions:
* Enforcement goals and activities of approximately 1,000 sworn personnel.
* Human resources, including police/civilian hiring, health insurance and pension plan administration, worker's compensation and the police promotion process.
* Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement.
* Special operations, including special events (Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, Super Bowl), along with SWAT, SCUBA, Bomb Unit, Motorcycle Unit and Capitol Police Section.
* Managed the department's discipline process and Internal Affairs Division.
In his last assignment with the State Police, Parker was tapped by Supt. Doug Carter to develop strategies and manage the overall planning of the ISP Health Care plan to ensure compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and to develop plans and strategies to manage the Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) liabilities of the Indiana State Police Retiree Health Care system.
Parker and his wife Melissa currently reside in Morgan County and will be transitioning to become Putnam County residents in the near future. They have two children, Seth, who is a trooper at the Bloomington ISP District and Zach, who is currently attending the Indiana State Police Academy and scheduled to graduate in December.