Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office

10/20/2026

Hello Tippecanoe County residents and followers that don’t reside in Tippecanoe County. We are celebrating a special retirement. Deputies usually retire sometime after 20 years of service. There are those that serve but retire much earlier, and that is what we are celebrating today. K-9 Marko worked his last shift this past Sunday. You would think that your last workday would be one where you take it easy, pack things us, say your goodbyes, but not for Marko. For one, the goodbyes would be plenty of barking. Marko’s handler, K-9 Deputy Booth kept him working right up to his last 10-42, seizing 58 grams of co***ne from the streets of Tippecanoe County.

Marko working so hard on his last day is exactly the way he wanted to go out. During his time with our office, he has taken part in tracking down many criminals wanted for felony offenses. One track that stands out to K-9 Deputy Booth was the time the Lafayette Police Department was looking for a stabbing suspect. Marko was close by, responded to help, and had the suspect located within 30 minutes. Marko didn’t work for just this office, he worked for all the departments in the county, never hesitating to help when another officer called.

During his time with us, Marko has been deployed over 600 times and helped in making over 200 arrests. Impressive numbers that speak volumes about a great career.

We are going to miss Marko and the great work that he has done, but we know that he has earned being able to relax at home and take a nap when his handler leaves for work. We know that K-9 Deputy Booth’s next police canine has a big tactical vest to fill.

Please join us in congratulating K-9 Marko on his retirement, and thanking him for the work that he has done for this office and the citizens of Tippecanoe County.

10/20/2026

Good Tuesday you all. I got behind on some milestones, so now it is time to get caught up. For those that have been to that little machine that asks you to make selections on who you want to do what, you might recognize this name, Tom Lehman. Tom is currently the Captain of Patrol with this office, but beginning January 1, 2027, he will be your next Sheriff. Tom has been with this office for 30 years, and we know he is going to be here for several more.
For those that follow this page, you know that from time to time I like to add a little story about the person being celebrated, and as luck would have it, I have just a few about Captain Lehman. I’ll just share a small part of one. Tom and I were fishing (imagine that😂) on the Wildcat Creek one afternoon. There are two creek stories, both involve running, and one was much funnier than the other, but you’ll have to ask him about the one where he was the one running. Here’s a hint: gar can get aggressive at certain times of the year.

Anyway, Tom and I decided to wade the Wildcat from CR 200 South to SR 26 one day. I had only waded a small portion of the creek before but felt like we could fish this section of the creek in about half a day so we would be home before our kids were home from school. I was completely wrong. We did not take into account the bends and turns of the creek. After almost 8 hours of wading, we found ourselves almost jogging to get to SR 26 so we could both make it to our homes before the kids got home. We caught a few, had some laughs at how out of shape we were, but were able to make it home on time.

Fishing that fast is like running a race, and just as one is usually winding their career down after 30 years, Tom is still running a race. During his time with this office, Tom has been a patrolman, detective, dive team member, field training officer, polygraph operator, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and his current role as a Captain. He has been involved decision making at all levels, and always brings a different perspective to the table.

Tom, I have enjoyed working with you all these years and appreciate all you have done for this office and community. We are better because of the work that you have done, and I know we are going to continue to get better when you take over as Sheriff.

Please join us in congratulating and thanking Sheriff-Elect Tom Lehman for his 30 years of service to this office and the citizens of Tippecanoe County. I know he is going to do great things for this office and community in the years to come.

Have a great week everyone. Enjoy this fall weather, take a drive in the country, and remember to…

Get along, talk nicely to each other, don’t take things that aren’t yours, and call us if you need us.

10/18/2026

If you would have told me that with two months to go in my last term in office, I would be in Washington D.C. talking about the positive impact peers were having inside our facility and how every jail should seriously consider allowing peers into the jail, I would say you are crazy. In this case, peers are those that are in recovery, have been through the justice system, served their time, and are now working with those that are incarcerated on a reentry plan.

I was completely against peers in our jail for several years, but through repeated conversations with Amy Brinkley, and several Sheriffs, I changed my mind. Amy Brinkley and her team from Paul’s Plan Ministries have been working in our jail for a little over a year now. Their work coupled with our Q360 program through Quality Correctional Care is making a positive impact on our inmate population.

President Trump signed an executive order on The Great American Recovery Initiative, and then appointed RFK Jr. and North Dakota First Lady Kathryn Bergum to chair. RFK Jr. then appointed Monty Burks to be the executive director. Earlier this year, Monty visited our facility. During his visit, we talked about what we were doing in our facility, took a tour of the facility, and talked with several peers and re-entry participants. Afterward, Monty asked if I would come to D.C. later in the year to talk about what we are doing in Tippecanoe County.

This past Thursday, Amy and I attended the Reentry Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. The event was hosted by HHS and SAMHSA with the main focus being to develop a reentry playbook to be released around the country for implementation. I was honored to sit on a panel the first part of the day that was lead by Monty Burks where we talked about what we are doing in Tippecanoe County. The second half of the day consisted of groups from all over the country working on what we have found to be successful, and what more can be done for reentry. The conversations were extremely beneficial, and I am excited to see what the playbook looks like.

We are doing some great things in Tippecanoe County, and we are so thankful for what Paul’s Plan Ministries is doing inside our facility. Their work, coupled with Q360, is helping those that want help, make a positive change in their life.

I hope this week is much better for you than last week.

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

FYI

***UPDATE at 11:00PM***

Clean up crews have concluded on South Street and that thoroughfare has been re-opened. The clean up efforts have now continued onto I-65 Northbound.

TRAFFIC ALERT: HAZMAT SPILL

Emergency crews are on scene of a hazardous materials spill in the 3900 block of South Street.

Drivers may experience delays or road closures along the following route:
- Eastbound South Street toward I-65
- Northbound I-65 toward the State Road 25/Schuyler Avenue exit

ISP, West Lafayette Police, Lafayette Police, and Lafayette Fire are on scene.

Please use caution in the area and consider alternate routes if possible. We’ll share updates as more information becomes available.

10/06/2026

Happy Tuesday to you all. This morning started off with two milestone celebrations here in the office. For our new followers, we like to celebrate those that reach milestones in 5-year increments (big word there for ya😂). Longevity is important in any career, but I personally feel it is even more important in law enforcement. I am sure you all have heard the old phrase, “everyone is replaceable”. Is that a true statement, yes. It is also an inaccurate statement as well.

Yes, anyone can be replaced, but what you can’t replace is the experience gained by that person. For our newest milestones, we are celebrating five years of service for Communications Officer Jessica Gillespie and Transport Officer Brady Vigar. Five years doesn’t really seem that long, but in this career, you can gain an enormous amount of experience in a very short period of time.

Jessica was recently named the 2026 Indiana Sheriff’s Association Communications Officer (Post on July 29th) of the year which is a tremendous accomplishment. Jessica does an outstanding job for our team. She works tirelessly to get information to the deputies on her shift in a timely manner so they can make educated decisions. She continues to work to obtain certifications so she can be better at her job and help her peers become better as well. Jessica answers each phone call without knowing what is taking place on the other end of the line, but she does so with care, and professionalism.

Transport Officer Brady Vigar started with us as a Corrections Officer and transitioned to Transport Officer shortly thereafter. Brady comes to work every day, does what is asked of him, and makes sure incarcerated individuals get to where they need to go. Some might say he is “just a point A to B guy”, but being a Transport Officer is much more than that. We ask our Transport Officers to do more than transport, they work with our team of Corrections Officers regularly and we are very appreciative of what they do. Brady has a goal to be an officer someday, and we will do all we can to provide him with the tools he needs to achieve that goal.

To Jessica and Brady, we say thank you. Thank you for choosing us 5 years ago and staying with us. Your decision to work in law enforcement says a great deal about you, and we are so appreciative of the work that you do.

Please join us in congratulating and thanking Communications Officer Jessica Gillespie and Transport Officer Brady Vigar on their five years of service to this office and the citizens of Tippecanoe County.

Have a great rest of the week everyone, and always remember...

Get along, talk nicely to each other, don't take things that aren't yours, and call us if you need us.

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

PSA usually means Public Service Announcement, and it does for this post, but now consider the acronym to extend to our farmers. PSA, Plant Seed Acre. Ok, that was kinda corny, but don’t get your rows all out of line. 😂

Good evening, and almost goodnight to many of you. I had a farmer friend text me today, asking for a PSA (Public Service Announcement) to go out for drivers of vehicles that aren’t used for farming. He had a situation where a driver barely avoided being hit by his combine. The near miss could have been avoided had the driver not been distracted by his cellphone. Most vehicles have handsfree nowadays, but if you are driving in one that doesn’t, whatever is on the cellphone can wait until you are stopped.

Our farmers are hitting it hard, trying to get the crops in so they can move on to packing things up for the winter. Please be observant when out and about on our roads, crashes involving farm machinery never end well. Most farmers I have encountered on the roads have been courteous and move over if they can. If they can’t get over, you can pull to the side of the road and let them pass, it won’t take them long to pass by. Give em a wave, and not the one finger wave with the finger that resides next to the pointer finger.

Now back to your regularly scheduled evening of whatever it is you are up to.

Friday is a few hours away, so here’s to a great weekend.

Take care, be safe, be kind, and remember to..

Get along, talk nicely to each other, don’t take things that aren’t yours, and call us if you need us.

09/28/2026

LOCAL SHERIFF ANNOUNCES MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM

Sheriff Bob Goldsmith today announced that Tippecanoe County citizens who would like to join him/her in the fight against crime are invited to become members of the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association. Many local citizens and some businesses have already joined the Association in support of our efforts.

The Indiana Sheriffs’ Association is a nonprofit, professional, educational and service organization dedicated to improving the Criminal Justice System through education, training, service and the protection of the lives and property of the citizens of Indiana, according to the sheriff.

The membership program was instituted to provide citizens with an opportunity to lend their support of crime prevention and awareness programs, promote public safety, provide more and improved training for Sheriffs and their personnel plus support the Summer Youth Leadership Camps and College Scholarships for teenagers interested in law enforcement that are provided by the association.

“We are inviting the public to help us better serve them by joining our efforts to provide effective law enforcement,” Sheriff Goldsmith said, Tippecanoe County residents should soon receive membership applications in the mail. “It is difficult to get an application to everyone who might want to join the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association as a member,” the Sheriff said. If you don’t receive an application by mail, you can call or stop by the Sheriff’s Office to obtain one or visit the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association website at www.indianasheriffs.org to join. All members will receive a membership card, two-star decals and releases of the newsletter.

The Sheriff stated that this letter of invitation sent to citizens is the only manner or way used to invite citizens to become members of the Association. The Sheriff stated that NO telephone solicitation or other methods are used to solicit members as are currently being used by some organizations.

“Your joining of the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association will be welcomed as an expression of your support of our Association and its many worthwhile programs,” the Sheriff concluded.

This Association is formed for the purpose of promoting the general public welfare through the cooperation of the different sheriffs and deputy sheriffs in the State of Indiana in the performance of their duties.

09/28/2026

Good afternoon Tippecanoe County residents, and those following from outside Tippecanoe County. I have an important message to share with you all:

The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to introduce the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association Membership Program. This unique opportunity allows citizens of Tippecanoe County to become members and have an active role in helping make our community a safer place by providing resources and services to the Sheriffs in Indiana. Keep an eye on your mailbox for your membership package!

Indiana Sheriffs' Association