Elkhart police report hiring gains, training and mental‑health resources after large shooting response; National Night Out set for Aug. 5

Chief Dan Melanes told commissioners the department has issued nine conditional offers and that ongoing hiring and lateral recruitment have reduced the number of open positions. “We have… given 9 conditional offers, which in theory, technically puts us down to only having 14 openings,” the chief said, adding five of the conditional offers are laterals and that roughly four of those laterals will start soon. The chief said the department hopes to swear in some new officers “on the 28th of this month” and that additional small groups of hires will follow every two weeks.

The chief briefed commissioners on recruiting and training steps the department is using to improve readiness. He described an applicant “information night” and recurring training that includes scenario‑based de‑escalation exercises, repeated classroom and field training, and built‑in scenario days for trainees before they go on patrol. “All of our officers go through de‑escalation scenario based training,” he said. The department also runs volunteer workout nights to help applicants prepare for academy physical testing.

Melanes summarized the department response to a recent large shooting, praising younger officers’ performance in a chaotic scene where, he said, “we had at least 12 people injured” and officers with about a year on the job performed life‑saving measures amid a crowd of “several 100 people.” He credited the training division, field training officers and supervisors for preparing officers for those incidents and said the department received outside praise for a separate call involving an individual in mental‑health crisis.

Commissioners and the chief stressed mental‑health resources for officers and the public. The chief described department supports including a chaplain program, social workers, a peer‑support group and an employee assistance program, and said discipline is typically paired with corrective measures such as supervisor counseling or referrals to counseling programs. “Discipline should not just be for punishment; it should be for corrective action,” the chief said.

The chief also promoted National Night Out at Central Green across from the police department, scheduled in meeting remarks for Aug. 5, and described community engagement activities planned for the event, including equipment displays, demonstrations, children’s activities and community resource partners.

No new policy changes or external funding allocations were proposed at the meeting; commissioners encouraged continued public outreach and praised the department’s community engagement efforts.