Elkhart police highlight officer commendation, large free concert safety and dispatch staffing challenges

Police staff told the Elkhart City Board of Public Safety on Sept. 9 that the department recently commended an officer for actions that helped evacuate residents from a house fire, outlined crowd-safety results from a large free concert and described staffing gaps in dispatch.

Chief (police) described a March or August incident (the transcript lists August 4) in which Patrolman Justin Lucky discovered a detached garage on fire near a house on Fulton Street and evacuated two residents before the fire spread. "His quick response actually allowed him to alert the fire department and emergency services. They came out and were actually able to address the issue, before it spread to anything else," the chief said; the board recognized Lucky's actions and commended him.

The chief and board members also discussed public safety at a recent free concert. The department estimated about 16,000 people attended and reported what the chief described as minimal arrests—"I believe there was 1 arrest that night, and that was it," he said—crediting planning by Lieutenant Baez and his team for crowd safety.

Dustin McLean of the 901 communications center provided the July monthly report and told the board there are three open positions on the dispatch floor and an open training coordinator position. He said the city is working with human resources and that discussions are underway about incentives for lateral hires; negotiations with the union were described as ongoing.

The board accepted the July 2025 communications report and placed it on file.