North Judson Police Department Plans Future Events

The North Judson Town Council members heard some future event suggestions from Town Marshal Kelly Fisher during their meeting last week.

Fisher said they’re considering a “Canine Mud Run” as a potential summertime fundraiser. She said it would be like any other mud run but they would invite individuals to bring their dogs along.

She said the police department plans to team up with the park board to have community-centered events every month. Continue reading

NJ Town Marshal Updates Town Council on Department Renovations

Renovations to the North Judson Police Department are underway. The town council members recently approved Town Marshall Kelly Fisher’s request to convert the conference room into a training area.

At Monday night’s town council meeting, Marshal Fisher informed members that two old radiators were recently removed with the help of the utility department.  Continue reading

North Judson Residents Wish Officer Beishuizen and K9 Gunner a Happy Retirement

Scott Beishuizen and Gunner
Photo Credit: NJ Town Photographer Peggy Bohac

At Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting, members of the community and the council wished Reserve Officer Scott Beishuizen and his K-9 Gunner farewell.

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher presented the team with a plaque and thanked them both for their service with the department and their commitment to the community. The town council shook hands with Officer Beishuizen and he issued a statement expressing his gratitude. Continue reading

NJ Town Council Members Invited to Attend K9 Pick-Up at Vohne Liche Kennels

On Monday night, North Judson Town Marshal Kelly Fisher invited council members to tag along with NPJD as they venture to Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Indiana on Tuesday, February 20th.

Marshal Fisher mentioned that Officer Rico Simpson will have over 300 dogs to choose from. The chosen animal will then go home with Officer Simpson for a week in order for them to bond and get familiarized.

After the week is complete, Simpson will attend six weeks worth of training, five days a week at the Vohne Liche facility. Continue reading

North Judson Town Council Approves Purchase of K9 Vehicle for Police Department

During a special meeting Monday night, North Judson Town Council members permitted Town Marshal Kelly Fisher to proceed with the purchase of a vehicle for the Police Department.

The vehicle is for Officer Rico Simpson and the police dog that he will be picking up next month. Members approved the purchase of a black 2014 Ford Explorer, with all-wheel drive that was requested by the town marshal. Marshal Fisher explained that it’s had routine maintenance so it is in very good condition. Continue reading

NJ Town Council to Hold Special Meeting to Consider K9 Vehicle Purchase Tonight

A special meeting to consider the purchase of a K9 vehicle will be held by the North Judson Town Council tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher initially proposed the purchase when town council members met on Monday, January 15th.Fisher explained that the department has $10,000 worth of funds available that was initially intended to buy a mode of transportation for the town’s code enforcement officer.

However, rather than purchasing a new vehicle for that purpose, she suggested handing down Officer Rico Simpson’s current car so they can utilize the money for something that could be equipped with the K9 travel kennel. Continue reading

North Judson Police Department to Convert Boardroom into Training Area

North Judson Police Officers will be tacking a renovation project soon, following a decision made by town council members on Monday.

At the first town council meeting of the year, Town Marshal Kelly Fisher requested permission to convert a scarcely used boardroom in the police department into a training area. She said that many of the officers have instructor qualifications so they could open the space up to host training classes for other local officers and to bring in some money for the department.

Council Members thought it was a good idea, but they wanted to ensure that the individuals who use the room for meetings wouldn’t feel ousted. Continue reading

North Judson Town Council Establishes Fund for North Judson Police Department K9

Last night, North Judson Town Council members considered an ordinance that establishes a fund for the police department’s K9 donations. Town Attorney Justin Schramm said the ordinance also allows for the flexibility to make additional purchases related to the K9.

Town Council President Wendy Hoppe read the ordinance aloud and specified that the fund can be used by the K9 handler, Rico Simpson and other law enforcement officials for any purposes related to obtaining, training or maintaining the dog. Additionally, it was mentioned that any requests to utilize the funds must come before the town council in a meeting open to the public. Continue reading

North Judson Police Department K9 Supporter Shirt Fundraiser This Monday

North Judson Town Marshal Kelly Fisher announced that the NJ Police Department will be selling t-shirts and hoodies as a part of their K9 fundraiser from 8 a.m. until noon on Monday, January 8th.

The t-shirts cost $10 and the hoodies will be sold for $20. Fisher stated they consciously set the prices in order to allow all community members a chance to obtain the North Judson Police Department K9 Supporter apparel. The police station is located at 206 Keller Avenue. Continue reading

North Judson Town Marshal Proposes Changing Unused Board Room into Training Site

(photo provided by Peggy Bohac)
North Judson Police Department Full-Time Force

North Judson Town Marshal Kelly Fisher came before town council members on Tuesday, seeking permission to turn the police station’s board room into a training site.

Marshal Fisher explained that she hasn’t seen the room utilized for meetings in quite some time. She mentioned that many officers have various instructor qualifications so that unused space is holding some untapped potential.

Fisher said, “We could open it up to host classes and bring some money in for the police department, kind of broaden our training.” Continue reading

Progress Made in North Judson PD K-9 Fundraiser, Additional Donations Still Needed

The North Judson Police Department is already nearing their $20,000 goal for the purchase of a K-9 and subsequent training thanks to a decision made by town council members Monday evening.

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher requested for $15,000 to be encumbered from the general police insurance fund into the K-9 fund to help cover the cost of purchasing a K-9 from the Peru-based company Vohne Liche Kennels. The council members unanimously approved Fisher’s request.

Fisher also acknowledged some local businesses and organizations that are already offering assistance to the NJPD. San Pierre Veterinary Clinic offered to donate annual shots and physicals and Feed Barn is donating all food needed for the K-9. Continue reading

North Judson Town Council Meets Tonight at 6:30 p.m.

North Judson Town Council members will hold a discussion over railroad committee bylaws when they meet tonight.

Additionally, members will appoint a member to the Public Library Board and consider a resolution to transfer funds.

Department heads will also provide reports to the council members. Town Marshal Kelly Fisher will deliver an update about the fundraisers that have been put in place since she presented a proposal about bringing on a dual-purpose K9 to the North Judson Police Department at the last town council meeting Continue reading

North Judson Code Enforcement Officer Provides Update to Town Council, Suggests Removing Outdated Ordinances

North Judson Code Enforcement Officer Joe Leszek provided an update about the code enforcement program that was implemented in mid-July.

Leszek said that they’ve seen good results and they continue to make improvements. He alerted council members that Town Marshal Kelly Fisher is currently working on a procedure to “put a little more teeth” into the abandoned vehicle policy.

He also mentioned that for the first few months, they were being more lenient by giving warnings and allowing people a few weeks to deal with citations. However, he said now that they’re more than six months into the code enforcement program, they’ll cut that down to 48 hour warnings and then ticketing if the issue is not handled.

North Judson’s town photographer Peggy Bohac presented a concern that she received from a fixed-income resident who was worried that stricter code enforcement could result in fines that would potentially be unmanageable.

Marshal Fisher responded, saying as long as citizens are making a noticeable effort to correct the violation, then they will not be continuously fined. Continue reading

North Judson Town Council Considers Proposal to Add K-9 Officer to NJ’s Full-Time Police Force

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher presented a request to purchase a dual-purpose K-9 officer during Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting.

Fisher addressed the fact that one of their part-time officers, Scott Beishuizen, does have a K-9 but she feels having one on the full-time force would be advantageous.  She explained that after conducting some research, she found that the Peru-based organization Vohne Liche Kennels has the best available training program. She also mentioned that Vohne Liche dogs are less likely to be involved in law suits due to the level of training they have. She presented council members with booklets detailing what the organization offers.

Fisher said, “The course teaches the K-9 and the handler the proper techniques to be a successful team and what we what we thought would fit best and what would give us the most for our money would be to get a dual-purpose K-9.” Continue reading

North Judson Town Council Approves Recommendation for Fourth Full-Time Officer

Chief Deputy Frank Thomas, Police Chief Kelly Fisher, James Dulin & Officer Rico Simpson (photo provided by Peggy Bohac)

Town Marshal Kelly Fisher recommended appointing James Dulin to the open position at the North Judson Police Department during last night’s North Judson Town Council meeting.

According to Fisher, the hiring process included a physical agility test that was structured after academy exit standards, a written exam and point-based interviews conducted by a seven person panel.

The panel included all three full-time officers with the NJ PD, a retired resident with past law-enforcement experience, a former Chief Deputy, a current officer with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Councilman John Rowe as the town council’s liaison. Continue reading

North Judson Police Department Finds Fourth Full-Time Officer

The North Judson Police Department has been in the process of finding an additional officer to complete their force.

Back in September, North Judson Town Marshal Kelly Fisher told Town Council members that her department was searching for a fourth full-time officer.

For the time being, the full-time positions are filled by Fisher and Officer Frank Thomas and Officer Rico Simpson. She stated that she was proud of the work done by everyone in the department, but the addition of another full-time officer would help everything fall into place. Continue reading

Red Ribbon Week Starts Today

According to National Family Partnership, children of parents who talk to their teens about drugs are 42 percent less likely to use drugs than those who don’t, yet only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. Today kicks off the start of Red Ribbon Week, a campaign that aims to educate youth about the dangers of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and to promote prevention.

From October 23rd through the 31st, educators, parents and citizens are encouraged to look at the ways they can help stomp out drug and alcohol abuse in our communities. Since it’s inception in the 1980s, the Red Ribbon program has helped educate millions around the world. Continue reading

North Judson Town Council Meets Tonight

The North Judson Town Council is scheduled to hold the adoption of the 2018 budget this evening. During the last town council meeting, members held the public hearing and first reading over the proposed budget which contains an estimated total of approximately $983,500.

Council members will also revisit old business such as the proposed animal ordinance and receive updates from the Town Marshal and Town Superintendent as well as other present department heads.

The North Judson meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. tonight in North Judson Town Hall located at 310 Lane Street.

North Judson Town Marshal Reports Concerns Surrounding Semis Braking Near School

The possibility of some “no Jake-brake” signs being installed at the edge of the Town of North Judson was discussed last Monday night at the North Judson Town Council meeting. Town Marshal Kelly Fisher told council members that she’s received some complaints, one from the school corporation and another from a resident, regarding semi-trucks utilizing their noisy engine brakes where the speed limit is reduced on State Road 39/State Road 10 near the location of the schools.

Fisher said “With the speed limit dropping the semis are hitting their “Jake brakes” and its disrupting the school and like I said, a citizen who’s not in very good health, she said it’s bothering her as well.” Continue reading