What are the top issues you will address as sheriff?

My top priorities as Sheriff will be public safety, restoring accountability and efficiency within the Sheriff’s Office, strengthening our workforce, and improving operations at the Marion County Jail.

First, I will address recruitment, retention, staffing, training, employee morale, and competitive compensation. Our employees are the foundation of this agency, and we cannot provide effective public safety or operate a safe jail without a professional, adequately staffed workforce.

Second, I will conduct a comprehensive review of jail operations, including intake, staffing, classification, inmate movement, overcrowding, medical and mental health services, and release procedures. We must operate the jail safely, constitutionally, and efficiently while reducing unnecessary delays.

Third, I will prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency. Taxpayers deserve to know their money is being managed responsibly, and I will evaluate spending, contracts, staffing allocations, and operations to ensure resources are directed toward the agency’s core responsibilities.

Fourth, I will strengthen our response to mental illness and substance-use disorders through better screening, crisis-intervention training, treatment partnerships, and reentry planning to help reduce repeat incarceration.

Finally, I will rebuild strong working relationships with IMPD, surrounding law-enforcement agencies, the courts, prosecutors, public defenders, community organizations, and the citizens we serve.

My administration will focus on the fundamentals: public safety, professional employees, responsible management, accountability, collaboration, and restoring confidence in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

People often experience mental health issues, substance abuse or homelessness and end up in the Marion County Jail instead of treatment. How would you manage this as sheriff? What policies would you enact?

As Sheriff, my first responsibility is public safety and the safe, constitutional operation of the Marion County Jail. However, we must recognize that many individuals entering the jail are struggling with mental illness, substance-use disorders, or homelessness. The jail should not become Marion County’s primary mental-health or addiction-treatment facility.

I would strengthen mental-health and substance-use screening at intake, expand crisis-intervention and de-escalation training for deputies and correctional staff, and work with qualified behavioral-health and addiction-treatment providers to ensure individuals receive appropriate care while in custody. I would also support evidence-based substance-use treatment, including medication-assisted treatment when medically appropriate.

Equally important is what happens when someone leaves the jail. Releasing individuals without medication, identification, treatment connections, or housing resources can contribute to the cycle of repeat incarceration. I would strengthen reentry planning and partnerships with community providers to improve continuity of care and connect individuals with available treatment, recovery, and housing resources.

I would also collaborate with the courts, prosecutor, public defender, law enforcement, hospitals, and community organizations to support appropriate diversion opportunities when legally permissible and consistent with public safety.

A recent investigation found the city’s public hospital is arresting people every 2 to 3 days. Sheriff Forestal said he was concerned about hospital police “putting hands” on people experiencing mental illness. Do you share his concerns? What actions will you take about this issue, if any?

Yes, I share the concern whenever individuals experiencing a mental health crisis enter the criminal justice system when treatment or another intervention may be more appropriate. At the same time, I would not criticize hospital police officers based solely on arrest numbers. Officers in a hospital environment can encounter dangerous, unpredictable situations, and sometimes an arrest or physical intervention is necessary to protect patients, medical staff, officers, and the public.

As Sheriff, I would want to understand what is driving these arrests. I would review available data, including the circumstances surrounding arrests, use-of-force incidents, repeat encounters, and how frequently individuals are being transported to the Marion County Jail following a mental-health crisis.

I would work directly with hospital leadership, hospital police, behavioral-health professionals, IMPD, and other community partners to identify opportunities for appropriate diversion and treatment before someone reaches the jail. I would also advocate for strong crisis-intervention and de-escalation training for personnel who routinely interact with individuals experiencing mental-health emergencies.

The answer cannot simply be to arrest our way out of mental illness. However, we also cannot ask officers to ignore criminal conduct or legitimate safety threats. Our approach must balance compassion with accountability and treatment with public safety.
As Sheriff, I will bring the appropriate agencies to the table, examine the facts, and work toward solutions that protect both vulnerable individuals and the professionals responsible for their care and safety.

Overcrowding has long been an issue in the jail. How would you address this issue?

Jail overcrowding is both a public-safety issue and an operational issue. As Sheriff, I would take a data-driven approach to determine what is contributing to overcrowding and work with our criminal-justice partners to address those factors.

The Sheriff does not determine who is arrested, what bond is set, or how long someone remains in custody. Therefore, overcrowding cannot be solved by the Sheriff’s Office alone. I would work closely with the courts, prosecutor, public defender, IMPD, and other law-enforcement agencies to identify unnecessary delays in processing cases and appropriate opportunities for diversion, pretrial release, or alternative programs for eligible individuals who do not present a threat to public safety.

Within the Sheriff’s Office, I would conduct a comprehensive review of intake, classification, housing, transportation, staffing, and release procedures to ensure we are using existing jail capacity efficiently and safely. I would also strengthen mental-health, substance-use, and reentry partnerships that can help reduce repeat incarceration.
For individuals who pose a danger to the community or must be incarcerated, we must have adequate secure capacity and staffing.

Ultimately, we cannot simply build our way out of overcrowding. We must manage the jail efficiently, reduce unnecessary delays, address repeat incarceration, and collaborate across the criminal justice system without compromising public safety.

What is your approach to immigration enforcement and working with ICE in the jail?

My approach to immigration enforcement would be guided by the law, the Constitution, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s responsibilities. The Sheriff’s primary responsibility is local public safety and the safe and lawful operation of the Marion County Jail, not serving as a substitute for federal immigration authorities.

When an individual is lawfully committed to our custody, immigration status will not change our responsibility to treat that person safely, professionally, and with dignity. At the same time, the Sheriff’s Office must comply with valid court orders, warrants, and other legal obligations involving federal authorities, including ICE.

I would establish clear policies so employees understand when cooperation with federal immigration authorities is legally required and when it is not. Decisions involving detention or release must be based on lawful authority, not political pressure from either side.

I also believe trust between law enforcement and Marion County’s immigrant communities is important to public safety. Victims and witnesses should not be afraid to report crimes or cooperate with law enforcement because they fear that contacting local authorities automatically makes them a target for immigration enforcement.

As Sheriff, I will enforce the law fairly, protect constitutional rights, cooperate appropriately with federal authorities when legally required, and keep the Marion County Sheriff’s Office focused on its fundamental mission: protecting the people of Marion County and operating a safe, secure, and professional jail.