Sheriff reports December drop in calls, approves promotion and outlines training and scholarship opportunities

The La Porte County sheriff updated the Merit Board on department operations and personnel at the board’s Jan. 14 meeting, reporting declines in several December activity measures, approving a promotion, and announcing training and scholarship opportunities.

The sheriff told the board that total calls for service in December fell about 13%, from 2,046 to 1,789, and that crash reports decreased slightly from 126 to 123. "Total calls for the month decreased 13%, going from 2,046 to 1,789," the sheriff said. He attributed much of the month-to-month decline in traffic activity to winter weather and said traffic stops fell from 710 to 543 (about a 24% decrease). The sheriff also said year-to-date calls are up roughly 3% compared with 2024, which he quantified in the meeting as 25,716 calls in 2024 versus about 26,000 in 2025 (transcript contained unclear numerics; the 3% figure was emphasized).

On personnel, the board approved a promotional request for Michael Matzke to the rank of probationary patrolman, effective Dec. 6, 2025. The sheriff said Matzke achieved the highest grade on the written exam and met service and rating criteria. A motion to approve the promotion was made and approved by voice vote.

The sheriff said Deputy Matzke successfully completed the physical assessment for the Northern Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and will begin training on Monday, Jan. 19, with an anticipated graduation in April. The sheriff also noted the academy has moved into a new facility in Valparaiso (the Mac Center), and this class will be the first there.

The sheriff announced that the Indiana Sheriffs Association scholarship application is open (applications available at indianasheriffs.org) and that the Neil Thompson Memorial Scholarship is now administered through the Unity Foundation (applications at uflc.net). He encouraged local criminal-justice students to apply.

The sheriff reviewed community outreach: the department’s 60th annual children’s Christmas show (Dec. 13 at Kesley Middle School Auditorium) raised proceeds for the Neil Thompson Memorial Scholarship and supplemental donations of toys were given to Toys for Tots. He also described staff participation in a Salvation Army distribution event on Dec. 19 and named participating personnel.

The sheriff said the department received new duty handguns purchased last fall, describing them as lighter weapons with red-dot sights; the department is awaiting holsters expected within a month. He closed by warning residents about phone scams targeting older adults, relating an instance in which an elderly woman was reported to have lost significant sums to repeat scams and urging caution.

The board set its next meeting for Feb. 11 at 9 a.m.