La Porte adopts policy to pursue training-cost reimbursement under new Indiana law

The La Porte Board of Public Works and Safety voted Dec. 2 to adopt a policy that mirrors a new Indiana statute allowing municipal governments to pursue reimbursement for law-enforcement training costs when a first-time officer leaves to work for another public agency within three years.

City staff said the statute took effect July 1, 2025, and the proposed policy is intended to put the city in a position to recoup training-related expenditures from a subsequent public employer rather than from the individual officer. Rachel Doty, who drafted the policy, and Nick Otis explained the city will include the repayment language in onboarding documents and that departments must record training costs, including academy tuition, equipment and related salary expenses.

Board members debated the draft’s discretionary phrasing — the policy uses 'may' instead of 'shall' — and flagged scenarios where the city might choose not to seek repayment (for example, mutual separations). Staff said their intent is to pursue reimbursement from the subsequent public employer wherever practicable and that Indiana code requires the city to have an official policy in place to make such claims.

Members asked for clear accounting practices to support future invoices; staff said department-level tracking and onboarding entries will capture costs and that the city must meet statutory timelines to preserve any claim. The board approved the policy by voice vote.

Next steps: Departments will document training costs in personnel files at onboarding, and staff will implement procedures to invoice other public employers when the statutory conditions are met.