LaPorte County Sheriff to Host Town Hall Meeting

LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd
LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd

LaPorte County residents will be able to speak openly about community concerns during a series of public meetings scheduled by Sheriff John Boyd.

Sheriff Boyd said these meetings will give community members and township residents a chance to discuss issues or crimes that plague a specific part of the county with members of the sheriff’s department.

He said it gives the staff at the sheriff’s department to reach out as well.

“It’s a great way for us to report to the public how we’re spending their tax dollars, some of the successes we’ve had, and some of the strategies that we’ve had when it comes to law enforcement. We’d like to answer some of the questions and concerns that they might have. We don’t want to paint the issues of LaPorte County with a broad brush because we know each community has individual needs. We’re very diverse here in LaPorte County,” said Sheriff Boyd.

Sheriff Boyd indicated that one of the biggest issues facing the sheriff’s department is the heroin epidemic.

“We are exploring different strategies, different tactics in regard to the heroin problem that we have and drugs, in particular. We have issues in individual communities regarding crimes against people. We also have issues in our jail that we need to talk about as well.”

A lot of the issues at the jail have to do with inmates with mental health issues.

“We trying to address some of the mental health issues that we have here. We have dwindling centers where we can take somebody with mental health issues, and it seems like anymore that our jails have become a repository for those that have psychological issues. We’re faced with – and sheriff’s offices around the state – people with psychiatric issues.”

The first of a series of town hall meetings is Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. CT at the Kankakee Township Fire Department at 3 W. Michigan Street in downtown Rolling Prairie.