Stockton, Baugh differ on key points in sheriff debate

Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Putnam County sheriff candidates Jerrod Baugh (left) and Scott Stockton chat following their debate Tuesday evening.
Banner Graphic/Jared Jernagan

They both grew up in Putnam County.

They both decided at a young age they wanted to serve as law enforcement officers.

Both have spent most of their careers at a state agency, serving the people of Indiana.

However, when it comes to their visions of a path forward for the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, the differences in incumbent Scott Stockton and challenger Jerrod Baugh came into sharp contrast Tuesday evening.

The opponents in the May 8 Republican primary kept it civil but often disagreed in their portion of the Putnam County Candidate Forum, co-sponsored by the Greencastle League of Women Voters, WGRE Radio and the Banner Graphic.

Four years ago, Stockton, then a recent retiree of the Indiana State Police, rode a wave of support as the outsider candidate promising change to a department that had seen itself riddled with scandal in the preceding years.

Stockton highlighted some of the ways be believes his administration has done this — increased regulations and standard operating procedures in the department, a blind hiring process aimed at weeding out all but the best job applicants, trimming programs such as the emergency response team (ERT) and dive team while partnering with state agencies to help the county when these services are necessary.

The sheriff is proud of his track record.

“We hold officers to a higher standard,” Stockton told the near-capacity crowd at the DePauw University Watson Forum. “When I was put in place as sheriff, the people wanted a change and that’s what they got.”

In laying out his own vision, Baugh, a 25-year veteran of the Indiana State Excise Police, the current administration’s less-is-more approach doesn’t always add up.

Baugh has spoken to some of the deputies who have left during Stockton’s administration. He said they told him they felt there were fewer officers on the road at any given time.

To help such situations, Baugh highlighted three goals if he is elected — the addition of school resource officers in local schools, an increase in the number of reserve deputies utilized by the department and a unified drug task force with other county agencies and backed by an emergency response team.

With all of these, Baugh said, his goal is increased service to the people of the county.

“When people in the county call for an officer, they probably don’t care about the standard, they want someone there,” Baugh said.

This was a sticking point between the two men at more than one point in the evening, with Stockton saying the department would welcome more deputies if they could pass the screenings.

“I’d like to increase the reserves but it’s hard to get qualified candidates,” Stockton said, adding that the cost of more ballistic vests, guns and vehicles would be a burden to the county.

Fiscal concerns were also among Stockton’s reasons for eliminating the ERT and dive teams, besides reasoning that the lack of specialization made them a liability to the county.

“When I took office, I believe there was an ERT team,” Stockton said. “That kind of service takes so much time. The level of training is astronomical.”

For Baugh, trying to do more with a small department is just what he’s always done, both growing up the son of a two-term Putnam County sheriff and in his 25 years with excise.

“The Indiana State Excise Police is not the Indiana State Police. There are 72 of us,” Baugh said. “We’re a small agency in small groups. I supervise 10 people.”

That, Baugh feels, qualifies him for leadership in another small agency.

“It makes it more of a family group,” Baugh said. “I always felt that the sheriff’s department was more of a family.”

The men also discussed their differing styles as administrators. Baugh is a multi-tasker, while Stockton is a delegator.

“I like to keep busy,” Baugh said. “I like to multi-task — handle different positions and get them done. Leadership like that needs to be taken into the field and that’s what I would do.”

“In this position, I would yield to those with specialty knowledge,” Stockton said. “As an administrator, I delegate. I surround myself with good people. This is like a business but this business is caring for the people of this county.”

One thing they agreed on is the need for community involvement in what the sheriff’s department does. For Baugh, that goal could be met with more reserves and the addition of resource officers. For Stockton, it’s the continued support of the public and living in a place where people “see something in their neighbor’s yard and they call.”

For all their differences, the two men also seem to have a shared desire to serve the community.

“We have made some great changes,” Stockton said. “We have not made the national news. I think we have made great strides.

“There’s always room for improvement,” he added, “and with your help, we’ll continue to do that.”

Baugh used his own closing statement to address the unasked question in the room: Why try to unseat a sheriff who has brought some well-received changes to the county?

“I’ve had people ask, ‘Why now? Why don’t you wait your turn?’” Baugh began. “Sometimes a football player has to march up to the coach and say, ‘Put me in, coach.’ That’s what I’m saying to you.”

The remarks from candidates for County Commissioner District 2, County Council District 3 and County Auditor will be featured in an upcoming edition of the Banner Graphic.