From a new jail to diversity, what are the Monroe County sheriff candidates' priorities?

Laura Lane, The Herald-Times
·8 min read

With current Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain term-limited, Monroe County will have a new sheriff in 2023. Voters will choose between Democrat Ruben Martė, and Republican Nathan Williamson. Martė is a captain with the Indiana State Police who serves as ISP's first equity and inclusion officer. Williamson is a lieutenant with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office who oversees training and the dive team's search and rescue operations.

The Herald-Times asked both candidates to share some of their vision for the office via email. Their lightly edited responses follow.

More:What to bring with you to vote in Monroe County, Indiana

Nathan Williamson, Republican

What are the three most significant issues you hope to address as Monroe County's next sheriff?

A safe and civil Monroe County is first and foremost. Citizens of this county deserve to feel safe with their families as they enjoy normal day-to-day activities. Lowering the overcrowding and the revolving door effect (recidivism) in the jail is another top priority. Lastly, I believe creating more diversity within the sheriff’s department and fostering community engagement go hand in hand and are top priorities as well. I will work to not only look for the best candidates to diversify the department but will also encourage deputies to get involved with the community they serve by volunteering their time to build relationships with community members and organizations to develop a better, more inclusive community.

A new jail will be built during the next sheriff's first term. What are your top five priorities for the new correctional facility?

A top priority is developing a robust release program within the jail to prepare those incarcerated to be functioning members of society when they are released. Within that potential release program, the top five priorities would be housing, employment, trade skills, mental health, and additional resources.

The program would look to create work release opportunities that allow individuals to work outside of the jail to assist them in finding permanent employment so they are established in their job and can afford basic living necessities. I would also work with local housing complexes to develop a possible housing partnership to help with short-term housing once released. I would also work to create opportunities within the jail that will allow individuals to learn trade skills so when they are released, they can have the job skills needed to succeed. Lastly, but most importantly, the program would have mental health education and tools to help those suffering better manage any mental health issues they may be dealing with. In that, we will provide addiction support and substance abuse resources. All of these elements are important and essential to making sure our incarcerated population gets back on its feet and contributes to society instead of becoming repeat offenders.

There has been talk during the election about increasing diversity among the ranks of the sheriff's department. How would you go about attracting more women and people of color to the force?

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to a positive and respectful community, thus making both top priorities of my administration. Monroe County has a robust citizenry with a diverse population, and it is of the utmost importance that we promote inclusivity and acceptance across all spectrums of the population, capitalizing on our unique multicultural county population.

Creating a diverse workforce starts by creating an atmosphere where people of all ethnicities, sex, culture, and background feel comfortable and a part of the team. I will work to improve and enhance the diversity training all members of the department participate in by partnering with DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) professionals within the community to deliver effective and relevant training.

I will also work to attract more women and people of color by partnering with universities for job fairs, career days, and taking opportunities to spread awareness by guest lecturing. I would also try to develop partnerships with organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, Girls Inc, etc. to develop relationships for future growth of women and people of color within the sheriff’s department.

Ruben Marte, Democrat

Ruben Marté
Ruben Marté

What are the three most significant issues you hope to address as Monroe County's next sheriff?

1) Increasing public safety. This should be the ultimate goal of law enforcement and it’s accomplished by:

  • Being transparent

  • Increasing accountability

  • Acknowledging the challenges our community is facing and discussing them with residents

  • Working hand-in-hand with social service programs

  • Working to gain public trust

2) Reducing the recidivism rate of individuals in the justice system. This is possible through:

  • Providing diversion programs

  • Working hand-in-hand with social service programs that provide support to individuals who have recently left jail or prison

  • Education

  • Training

3) Increasing training for all sheriff’s office employees. This includes training on:

  • Crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques

  • Cultural awareness for law enforcement

  • Implicit bias and understanding it's impact on actions and decisions

  • Police response to mental illness

A new jail will be built during the next sheriff's first term. What are your top five priorities for the new correctional facility?

Upon moving into the new correctional facility, as the new sheriff, my goals are to implement the following programs:

  • Academic Education. Academic education programs include adult basic education, General Education Development (GED) certification, the high school diploma program, and various college programs.

  • Career Technical Education. Career technical education programs provide job training for various career sectors, including masonry, carpentry, and welding.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy programs are designed to help offenders change the patterns of behavior that led to criminal activity. Specifically, these programs provide various forms of therapy to address rehabilitative needs such as criminal thinking and anger management that, if left unaddressed, can increase the likelihood of recidivism.

  • Employment Preparation. Employment preparation programs provide employment skills, such as job readiness and job search techniques, for inmates up to six months prior to their release in order to aid their transition back into society.

  • Substance Use Disorder Treatment. Substance use disorder treatment programs focus on helping inmates treat their substance use disorders, avoid relapse, and successfully reintegrate into society.

There has been talk during the election about increasing diversity among the ranks of the sheriff's department. How would you go about attracting more women and people of color to the force?

How to greatly increase the pool of qualified female and minority applicants:

  • Assess the Monroe County Sheriff's Department's current recruitment practices

  • Develop a strategic marketing plan

  • Host a women and minority policing career fair

  • Obtain free positive media coverage for the career fair and the Monroe County Sheriff Department

  • Develop flyers, posters and brochures with female and minority officers featured

  • Use female and minority officers as recruiters

Short-term Strategies:

Career fairs for women/minorities can be a successful strategy for recruiting women/minorities into traditionally white male occupations and have resulted in a stronger applicant pool. An orientation could consist of a panel of female/minority role models, information about the job (i.e. schedules, duties, career ladders), information about the training academy and its paramilitary nature, a presentation on what it is like to work in a white male-dominated occupation, information about the application process, and information about physical conditioning.

Provide a career orientation to communicate that women and minorities are welcome and sought after while providing them with a realistic picture of what the job is like. Career orientations are usually no more than two or three hours and should be held on a weekend or evening so that women/minorities already employed will have the opportunity to attend.

A media and publicity campaign should be done to recruit women/minorities to the career fair. Free media coverage that features women/minorities officers is the No. 1 strategy for effective recruitment of women/minorities into traditionally white male jobs.

Human interest news stories on female/minority officers linked to job openings prior to testing periods. Newspapers and magazines including minority publications.

  • Public Service Announcements on television and radio with female/minority officers featured.

  • Female/minority officers featured as talk show guests on radio, television and cable television shows prior to the start of the selection process.

  • Listings in calendar and notice sections of newspapers, cable television, and radio.

  • Development and mailing/posting of brochures/flyers/posters to a targeted recruitment list of women/minority.

Some examples of recruitment sources:

  • Likely to be Physically Fit: Gyms, Martial Art Schools, Adult Sports Leagues, Soccer Clubs.

  • Military: Army Reserves, Military Bases, ROTC.

  • Volunteer Activities: Volunteering as Emergency Medical Technicians/Firefighters.

  • Minority: Community Centers in minority neighborhoods; Associations for Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians, African-Americans.

  • Women already connected to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department: Civilian workers, Public Service Aides, daughters, sisters, and wives

The Web as a Recruitment Tool: Increasingly, departments are using the internet to recruit candidates to policing. Theinternet offers an inexpensive way to reach thousands of potential applicants around the country. It serves as a primary venue for many 20-somethings who are job hunting. The Monroe County Sheriff's Department can use web resources to communicate our friendly attitude toward women/minority candidates. We can provide:

  • A departmental recruiting page featuring women and minorities

  • Advertisements on job websites dedicated to women and minorities

  • Internet advertisements, such as banners and pop-up messages on websites, dedicated to women and minorities

  • Participation in email lists dedicated to women and minorities

Long-term Strategies: Approach two and four-year colleges with criminal justice programs in their communities and develop a collaborative goal of recruiting women/minority students. The department can also offer internships for students, thereby strengthening their connection to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department. Department programs such as police aides, police reserves, police explorers, or the citizen police academy are all potential recruitment grounds. Lastly, I also look forward to leveraging my community outreach programs, radio shows, college speaking engagements and various police academy training programs to recruit the best and brightest female and minority recruits to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Monroe County sheriff candidates Ruben Marte, Nathan Williamson