Current Warrick County Sheriff Chief Deputy Paul Kruse and 29-year Indiana State Police veteran Kevin Brown are both running for Warrick County Sheriff on the Republican primary ballot.
Without a Democratic challenger, one of them will likely be the next sheriff. Current Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder is term-limited and cannot run again.
Both Kruse and Brown have extensive law enforcement backgrounds, and are married with children and in Brown’s case, grandchildren.
He said he’s running for sheriff to keep growing in his career.
“I'm eligible for retirement. I want to further my career in law enforcement, and this is another way I think I can better serve the people and assist my local residents in Warwick County.”
Kruse said he’s running because he wants to keep seeing the sheriff’s office growing professionally.
“… and good service to the community. I've watched four sheriffs do their thing, and I think I bring a good perspective and my leadership and dedication. I think can can benefit us and move us into the next eight years.”
Brown said he’s a strong candidate for sheriff in part, because of those that have trained him throughout his career.
“I've been supervised and committed by some exceptional members of our agency they have led to my development growth, personally, professionally as a leader, and I want to bring that leadership and those experiences to the sheriff's office, you know, and better emphasize protecting and better serving our citizens, you know, through fairness and empathy and understanding with them, as well as with agency personnel.”
Kruse points toward his collaboration with other agencies as another reason he’s a strong candidate for sheriff. And of course, his experience with the department.
“I understand how it works. I understand how we're uniquely different, because being a sheriff is not just a law enforcement officer, that while you are a law enforcement officer, there's so much more to it and running the job, you know, we maintain the safety and security of over 100 inmates every day.”
This office of county sheriff is a partisan office. Both are running as Republicans and both agree that partisanship has no place in enforcing the law.
“We're here to better serve our citizens, make sure that they're all treated equally and fairly and treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve,” Brown said.
There are no democratic primary candidates so far in Warrick county.
On the GOP side, voters can choose county council members in districts 4, 3 and 2, as well as the auditor. Of course Kruse and Brown hope residents vote for them in the primary.
Brown said being sheriff would let him focus on one county, versus the six he can be part of patrolling in the Evansville ISP district.
“I hope that (the voter) invested in the future of the sheriff's office and the future of the county," Kruse said. "And I hope that they want to see me elected to carry on the good things we're doing and to improve.”
The Indiana Primary is Tuesday May fifth. Early voting starts April 7th.
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Full candidate Q&A — Kevin Brown
Text is lightly edited from AI transcript; for fairness, questions are standardized between candidates with no follow-up questions.
Timothy Jagielo
So much for coming in. I really appreciate it. Why don't you go ahead and tell me about yourself?
Kevin Brown
Yeah, thank you for having me here. Kevin Brown, running for war County Sheriff, married father of two grown sons, got two granddaughters, younger age, and a third one on the way. So we're pretty excited. About that new life change there. Enjoy, you know, developing them and just re reinvigorating life as raising kids. So we're really enjoying that.
Been with the State Police for 29 years now, graduated from the ISP Academy in 1997 first went to Versailles districts the southeast part of the state. Spent about a year there in the Versailles district, and then transferred over to Evansville, here to the Indiana Gaming Commission as a trooper detective, worked here locally at the casino boat, as it was back then, did some investigations there with the gaming division.
After about a year and a half, went into the Evansville District on road patrol. Been there ever since, working my way through the ranks and so on and so forth. So primarily patrol Gibson County. When I first came out 1999 to the Evansville district in 2001, I was transferred into Warrick County, so they sent me back home, which was great.
Getting back into that community and working with the other agencies and officers was very exciting time in my life, as far as that goes, finally made it home after moving to across the state, been with Evansville or at the ends of the post here. Now currently, after 2001 worked into the K9 program, which is probably the best five and a half years of my life. As far as my career is, working at patrol canines, I really love that resource.
… entered that in 2008 attended Allen County canine School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. You know, long trip, but it was well worth it. So again, that five and a half years we had some great successes and accomplishments, greatest five and a half years that I had, I can't tell you how much it meant to me. They're a valuable resource for law enforcement agencies to assist officers in the field, and something I'm looking forward to continuing with the sheriff's department.
If elected sheriff as well, and hopefully growing that program to increase the dogs for that agency. We worked on the criminal addiction team for about two years, sorry, about 2009-2011 we had some great successes in our district, which Evansville district encompasses six counties. A lot of our work was done further up north, you know, Knox Gibson and pike counties. And after about two years of that team, they made some changes there, pushed some of our dogs back into the districts. They're more readily available to our officers on the road. On the road, which worked out so went back to Warrick County, did a lot of work there and throughout the district, as far as canine usage and and resource to our troopers.
Around 2013 I was promoted to district squad leader, Sergeant for the Evansville post, supervising troopers for Gibson, Warrick County. Of course, they retired My K9, we got to have four years with him in retirement, which was absolutely wonderful for a work dog to live that long. He just about was 13 and a half years old when he finally passed in 2017.
Been a squad Sergeant ever since, moved around the district, supervising different personnel, different troopers, primarily Warrick County, and some out of Vanderburgh County. Currently, right now, I'm working as the field training officer, coordinator for our agency and for our district, working on the training and supervising that for our new probationary troopers, which is a valuable asset. You know, we're training our next replacements, which is something we need to focus on, making sure that they receive the best training that we can offer as an agency to them and leading them down their career path for advancement, growth and development, though currently still a district sworn leader overseeing our canines, which keeps me in that program, which is great. Still get them mess with the dogs, so on and so forth. So it's a valuable asset to have.
TJ
Twenty-nine years at the ISP. Why try to make the change to run for sheriff?
KB
Why to make the run for the sheriff — something I've always looked at as far as where I am currently, my career, I'm eligible for retirement. I want to further my career in law enforcement, and this is another way I think I can better serve the people and assist my local residents in Warrick County.
TJ
What about yourself makes you a strong candidate to run for sheriff?
KB
Being the State Police for 29 years — I've been supervised and committed by some exceptional members of our agency, and they have led to my development growth, personally, professionally as a leader, and I want to bring that leadership and those experiences to the sheriff's office, you know, and better emphasize protecting and better serving our citizens, you know, through fairness and empathy and understanding with them, as well as with agency personnel.
TJ
The sheriff is a partisan position. You have to run on the Republican ballot. How does being a Republican affect how you would handle the department?
KB
As the sheriff, (or any) law enforcement officer, is not partisan the performance of their duties. Never are, never will be. We swore by an oath will uphold, defend and support the constitutions of the United States, State of Indiana, and we'll enforce all laws equally and impartially. We're here to better serve our citizens, make sure that they're all treated equally and fairly and treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.
TJ
Why should somebody vote for you in the primary?
KB
Over my experience as a law enforcement officer, I've looked for change. I strive to improve the residents lives, as well as any of those officers that work alongside of me, whether it's through mentoring, peer support, coaching, motivation, whatever the case may be. So I'm dedicated and committed to serving our citizens and giving me that opportunity to serve them daily.
As your sheriff, you know, working for the State Police, we're pulled all over as far as our district, in six different counties. We have a primary county assignment, but we're not always there every single day. This gives me that opportunity to focus all my efforts and work towards bettering the lives of the citizens of Warwick county as well as the officers that work for the agency.
Full candidate Q&A — Paul Kruse
Text is lightly edited from AI transcript; for fairness, questions are standardized between candidates with no follow-up questions.
Timothy Jagielo
Please tell me about yourself —
Paul Kruse
Been a lifelong resident of Warrick County. Grew up in Elberfeld, went to Tecumseh High School. Been married to my wife for 22 years. We've got four sons. We attend St Clement Catholic Church in Booneville.
I actually started my public safety career while I was still in high school. I was a cadet fireman, and by the time I was out of high school, I had completed my EMT certification and firefighter certifications, and was actually working part time in dispatch, answering 911, before I graduated high school.
So Sheriff (Bruce) Hargrave hired me full time as soon as I graduated then and got my start. Worked as a special deputy for a while in the newly opened Judicial Center at that time, and in 2002 I started as a police officer at Boonville Police Department. Attended the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and and 2005 returned the sheriff's office as a deputy, and that's where I've been since.
In that role, I've served as patrolman, a patrol sergeant, Detective, and since 2019 I've been the chief deputy, where I assist sheriff in the daily operations, overseeing everything, oversee over 100 paid and volunteer employees, and the budget and 911 dispatch and jail operations, kitchen administration, maintenance, the many different facets of running the sheriff's office.
TJ
So why not just stay there? Why run for sheriff?
PK
First of all, chief deputy is appointed by the sheriff, so that's one of the positions that the sheriff has total hiring authority over so there's no guarantee that you'd be chief deputy anyway, but each Sheriff brings their own flavor and their own perspectives to it, and that's one of the great things I think about our term limits in Indiana, is that at least every eight years, you get a something different, a different look at things, and a new spin.
And while there may not be major changes, it does freshen things up a little bit and keeps everybody sharp. And if you want to get things done, you've got to act quick. So I want to I want to I want to see the sheriff's office continue to grow in our professionalism and good service to the community. I've watched four sheriffs do their thing, and I think I bring a good perspective and my leadership and dedication. I think can can benefit us and move us into the next eight years.
TJ
Is there anything else you want to add about your background that would make you a strong candidate for this position, for this elected office?
PK
Yes, I've always done well collaborating with other agencies. That was one of the things I thought as a detective that we our agency, does exceptionally well, and some of our other agency partners that we've worked with over the years have commented that they don't have that in other parts of the state we work so well with our with the other law enforcement partners and our other public safety partners. I can help with that further. We've already got good relationships. I think I can continue to improve on those.
But my experience, having worked through the different positions in the sheriff's office, I understand how it works. I understand how we're uniquely different, because being a sheriff is not just a law enforcement officer, that while you are a law enforcement officer, there's so much more to it and running the job, you know, we maintain the safety and security of over 100 inmates every day. Again, we have the 911 dispatch in our county. We have to manage the budget for.
All those different divisions, the personnel and policies of all that. So I had that experience. I've been active in the Indiana Sheriffs Association as the chief deputy, and have served on their board of directors different years. And in doing that, I've got a good network of other chief deputies and sheriffs throughout the state that where we can talk and we learn from each other as far as dealing with the issues of the day, and most of us are dealing with the same things, maybe just a little different variation of it, but it's always great to have that network to lean back on and and talk through any issue you might be having. So I do have that going for me, and I think that I'm the right man for the job.
TJ
What does being a Republican have to do with running a sheriff's office? How does running as Republican affect how you might be the sheriff?
PK
I want to be everybody's sheriff. I've said that from the very beginning, and that is, you know, being a Republican, I have been my whole life, been active in the party for many years, but really once elected, and that's one of the neat things I see in being active through the ISA, is that once elected, I don't know the political party of most of the sheriffs that I know from around the state. I mean, there are a handful, but I know that from other outside reasons.
You know that when it comes down to the business of the sheriff, political party really has very little to do with it. It's just something that's on your ballot when you run. But once you get past that point, it's the doing the business of the people and being being there for all of them and representing them well, it's very important.
TJ
So people in Warrick county have the choice this May to pull a Democratic or Republican ballot to vote in the primary. Why should they pull a Republican ballot in the primary and vote for you?
PK
Well, for one, I'm not sure that there are many races on the Democrat ballot in Warrick County, but, but I hope that they're invested in the future of the sheriff's office and the future of the county, and I hope that they want to see me elected to carry on the good things we're doing and to improve.
I want to be open to conversation with anybody, and It kind of goes back to your previous question of political party. I don't care what party or where somebody stands on anything. If they have an issue, I want to be there and I want to have a conversation with them. We might not agree still at the end of the day, but maybe we'll understand better where the other one's coming from, and can have a can just at least come to a good understanding.
But so I hope that they they're interested in seeing that as we move forward, and I hope that they're willing to pull the Republican ticket and vote for me to keep that going and to have a good, solid sheriff's office that's committed to service and good work.