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Schererville extends emergency police hiring, posts 60-day traditional recruitment; K-9 Juno retired
Summary
Police Chief Pete Sormoz told the Schererville Board of Safety the town has extended an emergency hiring process while posting a traditional recruitment that will be open 60 days; the department also announced K-9 Juno retired Dec. 23, 2024 and that staff are evaluating replacement options.
Police Chief Pete Sormoz told the Schererville Board of Safety on Jan. 9, 2025, that the town has extended an emergency police hiring process approved in November and posted a separate traditional recruitment that will remain open for 60 days.
The extension will remain in place “until we establish the new hire list,” Sormoz said, adding the department is working with Stennard and Associates to establish that certified list. “We haven't had any responses in regards to that,” he said of the emergency-hire posting. At the same time, Sormoz said about 15 people had expressed interest in applying as recruits under the traditional process.
The new traditional recruitment was posted the day of the meeting and will be open for 60 days, Sormoz said. He told the board the department will run the emergency and traditional processes in parallel so immediate needs can be filled while building a certified list for academy candidates.
Board members and department staff described recruitment as a regional challenge. Sormoz said he had identified several other area departments running emergency-hire processes and cited a state police report — which he said he was verifying — that showed an estimated shortfall of about 200 officers statewide.
Sormoz also updated the board on the retirement of K-9 Juno. “K-9 Juno retired December 23, 2024. He's been our K-9 for approximately 10 years,” Sormoz said, noting Juno’s handler, Detective Anthony Bonadonna, has worked with Schererville for about 18 years. The department currently has two younger K-9s, Yeti and Datto, Sormoz said, and is evaluating replacement options — including acquiring another shepherd and consulting regional and out-of-state providers.
Sormoz said the department is researching costs and potential vendors; he told the board there are two local providers in the region and one contact in Texas who is importing shepherds from Europe.
Why it matters: Local hiring decisions affect patrol staffing and response capacity. The department will report further recruitment results and the certified hire list to the board once the advertised processes conclude.
The board did not take any formal vote on the emergency-hire extension at the Jan. 9 study session; Sormoz said he would bring any formal recommendation to the board for action in a future meeting.
