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Sheriff candidates talk drug issues, mental health
Rehabilitative vs punitive.
While the nature of correctional services is a question often left to prosecutors, judges and wardens more than law enforcement officers, a sheriff is an exception.
If any of the three current Putnam County sheriff candidates wins the election in November, he’ll not only be tasked with overseeing 20 or so fellow law enforcement officers, but also a 175-bed jail.
So it was that the first question for the three Republican candidates on Thursday during the candidate forum sponsored by the Greencastle League of Women Voters, WGRE and the Banner Graphic was how open they were to promoting educational and rehabilitative programs at the jail.
All three – Jerrod Baugh, Steve Hibler and Dwight Simmons – were in support, with slightly different perspectives on the issue.
Baugh, a 27-year veteran of the Indiana Excise Police, has had the chance to work with dozens of sheriffs from many counties over that time, and has gained some perspective from their varying approaches.
“People, when they are in there (the jail), are there for a short time at the worst time of their lives,” Baugh said. “Anything we can do for them, they remember 10-fold later on.”
Baugh added that recovery in the jail setting is about “meeting them where they are” in the process.
As for training while in the jail, he said he is aware of offenders in the jail who are skilled in trades such as carpentry or painting. He would like to promote a peer counseling program in which inmates train others so they have such skills when they are back outside the jail walls.
Hibler, the current Cloverdale town marshal but also a man with 40 years of law enforcement experience, emphasized that he returned to Putnam County back in 2016 as the Putnam County jail commander.
During that time, he utilized a $40,000 grant to bring educational programs into the jail, including a GED program as well as Moral Reconation Therapy and My Steps (a program Hibler created), which promote accountability and moral behavior among the offenders.
Hibler even noted that he has support from among former inmates who went through these rehabilitative programs. He would like to start an outreach program to set those due for release up with jobs, as well as building resumes and job skills.
“Several of them have really excelled in their careers,” Hibler said.
Simmons, a major and operations commander within the sheriff’s office, is the only of the three candidates currently associated with the department. He noted that he would be in favor of continuing the programs currently in place, which he believes have been successful.
“I absolutely would be receptive because we’ve had a number of these in place for several years,” Simmons said. “These programs typically help out with recidivism. It helps so that maybe they don’t come back to the Putnam County Jail.”
Simmons noted that there are a high number of drug offenders housed at the jail, and that their time in jail gives these people time to get clean and return to the community “a different person.”
“These programs work,” Simmons said. “It’s guys that are going out and going back in the community.”
The questions of rehabilitation led naturally into a question regarding the nature of the illegal drug problem locally and a plan for dealing with it. This was where the question of punitive justice came into the discussion, with candidates distinguishing between using drugs as a mental health problem and undeniably criminal act of dealing drugs.
Hibler spoke of polling inmates during his time as jail commander, noting that 92 percent of those taken in had some sort of substance abuse problem. He even noted that many property crimes in the community have their roots in people stealing in order to get money for drugs. He said he wants to take a “holistic approach” to the drug problem to address this.
Hibler also said his department has taken 18 dealers off the streets, which he said impacts not just Cloverdale, but the rest of Putnam County and the surrounding area.
“Not everyone needs hard punishment – they need help,” Hibler said. “The dealers need to go to jail.”
Simmons spoke of a similar approach for dealers.
“For the vast majority of people who are distributing poison into the streets, it’s simply greed,” Simmons said. “The only recourse for a drug dealer is punitive, and it’s called prison.”
Simmons also spoke of being involved in drug enforcement during his 24 years at the sheriff’s department, not only doing drug interdiction, but also utlizing the department’s resources to do outreach in the community and schools with the idea of reaching young people before drugs become a problem.
Baugh said the drug problem starts with mental illness, like many other issues. For this and issues such as domestic violence, he plans to start a crisis intervention team, which would bring mental health professionals on board to respond to certain situations alongside officers as well as educating the officers on mental health issues.
“We’re going to go there with this team and avoid jail,” Baugh said. “I believe the nature of the drug problem begins and ends with mental illness.”
He spoke of a two-pronged approach to drug issues involving education and enforcement.
In the final question from the panel, the three candidates were asked about their approach to coordinating with other agencies if elected, with all three responding positively to the idea.
Simmons said it’s something PCSO is already doing and would continue to do.
“We have routinely always worked in concert with other agencies, whether it be local, state or federal,” Simmons said. “Everybody brings something to the table.”
“It’s something we’ve always done.”
However, he added he’d like to see more, proposing a monthly meeting between local police agencies.
“Networking is huge,” Simmons said. “We don’t share enough.”
Baugh spoke of how the Indiana Excise Police have 77 officers to cover 92 counties, which means always seeking partners.
“Cooperation with other agencies is what I’ve done for 27 years,” Baugh said, adding that he’s also spent 20 years as president of the Putnam County Fraternal Order of Police, which also brings officers from various agencies together.
“I have a cell phone full of names of people I’ve worked with over the years, not only police,” Baugh said. “Together we have made Putnam County better.”
Hibler said that coordination is the nature of law enforcement in small towns.
“Community policing is the commitment to that (cooperation),” Hibler said.
He added that besides coordination with other police agencies, this means working with fire and emergency medical agencies as well.
Like Simmons, he also sees a need for monthly meetings between agencies as vital.
Hibler added that between his years in the Indiana State Police as well as the U.S. Army, he’s seen what policing is like not just around the state, but around the world, saying the problems in a place like Bosnia aren’t that different from Putnam County.
Later, during the audience questions portion of the program, the candidates were also asked about their opinion of the state’s recently-passed constitutional carry law, which no longer requires a permit to carry a concealed weapon. They expressed their support for the Second Amendment, while also noting that there are different challenges in such a situation.
Baugh noted that it’s already law in 21 other states.
“It will challenge how we do law enforcement,” he said. “We’ll deal with it, just like anything else.”
Simmons called it a “double-edged sword,” noting that officers have previously had some idea before approaching a car if the person within had a gun permit. However, he added, criminals don’t alert you when they have a weapon.
He advised people to still get permits due to reciprocity with many other states.
Noting there will be “bugs to work out,” Hibler expressed his support for the law. Furthermore, he emphasized training for those who wish to carry, echoing an earlier point by Baugh.
All three men are seeking the Republican nomination for Putnam County sheriff in the Tuesday, May 3 primary election. There is currently no Democrat nor any other candidate, though that could change prior to the November election.
A story regarding the debate between County Council District 1 candidates Dave Fuhrman and Wayne Huffman is published separately.
Additionally, the complete audio of both debates as well as remarks from candidates for county clerk, recorder and surveyor are available at https://tinyurl.com/bd97sbf3 or on the front page of wgre.org.