The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department had a busy year in 2018. Sheriff Jeff Richwine reviewed some of the annual statistics with the county commissioners last week. “As you can see, the 911 Center, we had 3,521 911 calls, 51,810 administrative calls, for a total of 55,331 calls for the year 2018,” he said.
Continue readingA Winamac man is dead, following a crash on U.S. 421 near Francesville Tuesday afternoon. The Pulaski County Coroner’s Office says it happened near County Road 600 South. Ronald Mark Vititoe, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:20 p.m. by Coroner John Behny.
Continue readingWork continues on a body camera policy for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Jeff Richwine told the county commissioners last week that he’s begun getting requests for body camera footage, but there are laws that limit what the department may release. “It’s a kind of a nightmare,” he said. “We’re working on getting the software that we can redact all the stuff. [County Attorney] Kevin [Tankersley] read the law, I read the law, and you’re head still kind of spins.”
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is looking to finalize a couple of contracts. An agreement with Motorola for new body cameras, portable radios, and other equipment was approved by the county commissioners earlier this month. Auditor Laura Wheeler told the county council last week that she needs to know where exactly the money is coming from, before the paperwork may be finalized.
A shortfall in the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department’s overtime budget has the sheriff asking to move some money around. Sheriff Jeff Richwine told the county commissioners last week that he plans to transfer a total of $17,600 into his overtime budget. “Some of this is due to people not getting moved in the matrix in time, so we have to go back and do back pay, so that’s some of it,” he explained. “Some of it’s overtime.” Richwine said that money will come out of the Dispatch Salary, Equipment Repair, and Part-Time Cooks line items.
A Winamac Park Board member is voicing his frustration after someone apparently vandalized the new restrooms along the Winamac Parkway. “I went in there a few weeks ago to look and there was trash everywhere in there, and people went to the bathroom and plugged it up,” Chris Schramm told the rest of the park board last week. “I assume kids are doing that. I mean, it looked terrible.”
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Deputies will have a new retirement plan, starting January 1. The county council voted Monday to change the system to a 32-year plan. Currently, the number of years of service that count toward deputies’ retirement benefits is limited to 20.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department says a 75-year-old man who had gone missing from the San Pierre area has been located. The Sheriff’s Department had been looking for Lawrence Daum.
About 40 minutes after the initial alert Friday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Department sent out an update saying the missing subject had been located.
The Pulaski County Council got a closer look earlier this month at proposed changes to the sheriff’s deputies’ retirement plan. Actuary Stan Brown with OneAmerica explained that the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is one of about a dozen in the state that still use a 20-year maximum service plan. “So what that means is only 20 years count for any deputy’s benefit,” he explained. “If you have someone work beyond 20 years, those years don’t count in determining the monthly retirement benefit.”
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is pursuing funding to launch a work release center. Sheriff Jeff Richwine told the county council this week that Natalie Federer, who serves as coordinator of the county’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, is willing to help with grant applications.
The Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office is getting a new investigator vehicle. Prosecutor Dan Murphy plans to get a 2019 Dodge Charger from Braun. “We’ll have about a $12,000 discount buying it through that program that the State Police use for vehicles,” Murphy told the county council Monday. Once the discount, trade-in, and the addition of a police package are taken into account, the final cost is around $26,400.
The man suspected of his involvement in a fatal house fire in Medaryville in the afternoon on Monday, Aug. 13 has been charged in the incident.
A semi versus car crash in Pulaski County Tuesday morning sent one person to the hospital. Pulaski County Sheriff’s deputies say it happened around 11:00 a.m. at State Road 14 and County Road 300 West.
Pulaski County Chief Deputy Coroner Jon Frain has ruled the death of a person in last week’s fatal house fire in rural Medaryville as a homicide.
Making up shortfalls in the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department’s overtime budget was the goal of a couple budget transfers approved by the county council Monday.
More than $18,000 was moved from various line items, at the request of Sheriff Jeff Richwine. “These are all to cover overtime. Well, the part-time clerical’s not, but the other is overtime for deputies,” he explained. “And then one’s overtime for dispatchers.”
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office sent out a news alert around 5 p.m. EST that stated the tornado sirens in Francesville have been activated due to an unconfirmed funnel cloud sighting.
Officials noted that the cell in question is reportedly located to the south/southwest of Francesville. However, no rotation has been confirmed. Continue reading
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department is getting a new vehicle. The county commissioners voted Monday to let Sheriff Jeff Richwine buy a Dodge Durango from Braun.
Pulaski County Sheriff Jeff Richwine is looking to overhaul deputies’ retirement plan. He told the county council last week the current system lets deputies retire after 20 years and offers little incentive for them to work beyond that. “Several of the last hires have all been under 25,” Richwine said, “so if we want to keep those folks, I guess, past 20 years – I just started looking at their retirement. It’s pretty poor. After 20 years, they keep paying into it, and it doesn’t go up for them.”
Officers from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department joined with officers from the Indiana State Police All Crimes Policing Team in the Indiana State Police-Lowell District in a multi-jurisdictional enforcement effort on Friday, July 13.
The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department continues to keep an eye on County Road 250 North. Deputies have been monitoring traffic, after a complaint of speeding vehicles was brought to the county council and commissioners.
