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Cloverdale Town Council selects Hibler as new marshal
CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale Town Council voted unanimously to appoint Steve Hibler, of Camby, the town marshal during a special public meeting on Tuesday.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity,” Hibler said after being introduced. “I’m glad to get started. I’m going to kind of look and try to learn my way around and what’s going on and where we’re at right now. That’s one of the key things.”
He went on to promise transparency for the town council.
Hibler graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and the Northwestern University Police Staff and Command School. He holds a B.S. in management of human resources, an M.S. in management and an M.S. in strategic studies. He has also been the department chairman and professor of military science at Ball State University.
He worked with the Indiana State Police for 28 years before retiring as the assistant district commander at Putnamville District with the rank of first sergeant in 2012. He was a member of the ISP SWAT team for 10 years.
He was chief of police in Red Lodge, Mont., from 2014 to 2016.
Most recently, he has been jail commander at the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.
Hibler has served in the U.S. Army for 34 years, seeing combat in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He currently holds the rank of colonel. While in Iraq, he supervised 9,000 soldiers and 25,000 detainees. He has received the Bronze Star, Combat Action Badge, Indiana Distinguished Service Medal, Order of the Marechaussee, Humanitarian Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.
“We’re excited to have you,” Clerk-Treasurer Cheryl Galloway said.
A new marshal found, the next step of improving the Cloverdale Police Department’s administration is set to begin.
“It’ll be a rowboat to start,” safety board adviser Phil Parker said, “but it’ll be a speedboat in about a month. We’re going to hit the ground running.”
Cloverdale has been operating with Sgt. Charlie Hallam at the head of the department since last spring when former marshal Mike Clark was arrested on felony theft charges pertaining to his former position as marshal of Galveston in Cass County.
Clark subsequently pleaded guilty of misdemeanor conversion and resigned his post in October.
Parker was appointed by the Town Council in December to vet a new marshal and assist in improving CPD’s administration. Parker is the chief deputy of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department as well as an ISP retiree.
The town will again officially have a marshal with Hibler set to take the oath of office today at Cloverdale Town Hall.