Where should Marion County Sheriff deputies train? This bill would answer once and for all

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24-02-2025

A bill sailing through the Indiana General Assembly has stirred up a longtime argument between the state and the Marion County Sheriff's Office about where the agency's deputies should receive training.
Senate Bill 525 would bar Marion County Sheriff's deputies from training at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, the Plainfield facility where most of the state's officers graduate − and where the Sheriff has long sought to enroll his deputies.
Instead, the bill would force deputies to be certified at an academy in Marion County along with Indianapolis police officers.
'Marion County is unlike any other county, it needs to have its training at the local level,' said Indianapolis Republican Cyndi Carrasco, the bill's author.
The proposal stems from a back-and-forth fight between the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and the Marion County Sheriff's Office, which has trained its deputies but long pushed to have its staff go through the state's academy to receive what's known as Tier 1 training, the most comprehensive course in the state.
The academy pushed back, arguing the deputies did not rise to the definition of law enforcement officers qualified to receive the rigorous training. The Sheriff's Office took the fight to court in 2021.
Carrasco said during a Senate hearing that her goal with the bill is to give a definitive answer after that lawsuit 'muddied the waters.'
Opponents of the bill, including some Republicans, argue the deputies should receive the state-level training.
Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies' duties differ from others across the state in that they don't actively patrol the streets. Instead, they serve warrants, oversee the jail and courts, and maintain the sex offender registry. The limited duties stem from the decision in 2007 to merge the Indianapolis Police Department with the Sheriff's Office.
The limited duties are the reason the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board denied the county's 300-plus deputies academy access, court records state.
A judge ultimately ruled in favor of the Sheriff's Office, determining the academy must train Marion County Sheriff's deputies. The sheriff's office came to court months later arguing the academy still had not offered training to the 300 deputies it wanted to enroll after the judge's ruling. Instead, the academy would only accept new employees.
The bill would go against what the Marion County Sheriff has long sought and what the judge ordered.
Carrasco said because of the connection between the city and county, the Marion County Sheriff's Office is different from others in the state and its deputies should train alongside Indianapolis police at the city department's academy.
'These deputies are being trained to do what they are responsible for. They are not going without training, but they are getting it at the local level tailored to them,' she said.
Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, vehemently opposed the bill, stating the limited duties are not the Sheriff's Office's fault and that deputies need to receive the highest level of training.
'Do you want a non-Tier 1 trained officer serving a warrant in your county?' he asked.
Carrasco, earlier in the hearing, said Marion County "by its own admission" has better training for deputies than what the state offers.
Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, agreed and said passing the bill would benefit deputies outside Marion County by freeing up space in the academy.
'If you take this bill, every Marion County officer — whether they are IMPD or the sheriff — (is) going to be trained in an academy in Marion County, which opens up (the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Academy) for every one of (the state's) deputies to go there,' he said.
The bill passed the Senate in a 33-15 vote, mostly across party lines. Six Republicans voted against the measure.
IndyStar has reached out to the Marion County Sheriff's Office for comment because a representative did not speak during the bill's hearing.
Contact IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson at [e-mail]
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bill would decide where Marion County Sheriff deputies should train