Two Democrats are vying to become the next Marion County sheriff.
Kelvis Williams is a deputy chief and the executive officer at the sheriff’s office, and Gregory Patrick is a captain who manages staff and inmates at the jail.
Both men agree on several issues: increasing pay for employees; adding more training for jail staff; addressing homelessness in the wake of a new state law criminalizing encampments; and no longer housing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees in the jail beyond any short-term holds required under a new state law.
But in interviews with Mirror Indy, the candidates also emphasized differences in their experiences and approaches.
Williams has cast his candidacy as continuing the legacy of prior sheriffs, including Frank Anderson and Kerry Forestal, the current head of the office who has served since 2018.
“Each sheriff has taken our agency to the next level,” Williams said. “I will add to that.”
Patrick, meanwhile, described himself as an anti-establishment candidate,
“When you have the same people who have been at the top for years, you don’t have new thoughts,” he said. “I’ll bring a change.”
With no Republican opponent in the race, whoever wins the primary election in May will inherit over 800 employees and a $140 million budget. The office runs the jail, serves criminal warrants, protects county government buildings and maintains the sex offender registry.
Kelvis Williams: ‘My experience makes a difference’
Kelvis Williams has four decades of experience in law enforcement. He worked as a state trooper and later became a counterterrorism official for the Indiana State Police. At the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Williams heads the Homeland Security Division, which manages security at county government buildings and large events, such as The Indianapolis 500.
He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Martin University. He also completed the FBI National Academy and Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff & Command.
“I think my experience makes a difference,” Williams said. “My opponent has never run a division.” (Patrick, meanwhile, said he has more “boots on the ground” experience).
Williams wants to strengthen monitoring of sex offenders, who are required to meet with law enforcement and stay away from schools and parks. Williams said he would increase checks, which currently happen every other month through the sheriff’s office.
“I would try to make it so difficult that sex offenders don’t want to be in Marion County and move out,” Williams said. “It’s about keeping our young folks and kids safe.”
The 69-year-old, who lives in Pike Township, also said he wants to bring more programming into the jail. Currently, inmates have classes about self-development, but seats are limited. Williams envisions expanding the program and bringing in more motivational speakers who have been previously incarcerated.
“It’s about giving them the tools so they don’t come back to our facility,” he said. “We’re showing them a person who has been in their shoes and what he’s doing now.”
On the flip side, he also wants to implement more de-escalation training for jail staff so they can better respond to inmates.
Finally, Williams plans to collaborate with faith leaders and community organizations to address problems with young people across Indianapolis. Recently, police and city officials have tightened juvenile curfews.
“We can help organizations mentor these kids and show our face at events,” Williams said. “We can show young people there’s a different way of doing things.”
Gregory Patrick: ‘I’ll bring a change’
Gregory Patrick, a 61-year-old from the old north side also has four decades of law enforcement experience.
That includes working for the Indiana State Police and holding several positions in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, which he joined as a reserve deputy in 2005. He has managed and booked inmates into the jail, delivered civil papers and worked in investigations and judicial protection.
One of his proposals is to bring sheriff’s deputies into schools as resource officers. The goal, he said, is to help young people have positive experiences with law enforcement.
“If we don’t stop the school to jail pipeline, we’re doomed,” Patrick said. “Our kids are our future.”
Indianapolis Public Schools has its own police department. Under his leadership, Patrick said the sheriff’s office would work alongside existing school safety programs and look at expanding into charter schools.
He also plans to address mental health issues in the jail. That includes giving deputies more training for recognizing mental illness and hiring additional staff.
“As officers, we aren’t trained as clinicians,” Patrick said. “We need more mental health counselors to help make sure people in our facility get the help they need.”
And when things go wrong, he wants more transparency through a new civilian review board. It would be made up of community members looking into incidents at the jail, including inmate deaths and safety complaints. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has a similar board for citizen complaints about misconduct.
“My platform is strong community partnership,” Patrick said. “We let them review incidents and let the public know what actually happened.”
Williams, his opponent, said a civilian review board isn’t necessary because the sheriff’s office is already “extremely transparent” with media and the public about incidents.
Still, Patrick supports the idea as a current jail captain. “I see a need for it,” he said. “If you’re investigating yourself, it’s scrutinized more than if you have a review board.”
How to vote in the Indiana primary
Marion County residents with a valid government-issued photo ID can vote early at the City-County Building from April 7 through May 5, and at one of nine early voting centers from April 25 through May 5.
On election day, which is May 5, residents can vote at one of the county’s 182 vote centers from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Those still in line when the polls close at 6 p.m. should stay in line to cast their ballots.
The deadline to register to vote is April 6. Visit the state’s Voter Portal to check your registration status.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at 317-721-7648 or email maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.
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