Sheriff's Son Seeks To Uphold Tradition
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Aaron Rovenstine is proud of his father's legacy, but has his own plans if elected to replace him as sheriff of Kosciusko County.
The son of Al Rovenstine became the fourth person to officially announce intentions to run for sheriff.
At age 38, Rovenstine is the youngest of the four candidates to declare their intentions, but he has a unique corner on experience and familiarity with the department.
As early as 10 years of age, Rovenstine recalls, his father would drop him off at Center Lake Park for little league practice and he would then walk over to the sheriff's department afterward to get a ride home.
"I just hung around there and they put me to work" doing odd jobs, he said. "I spent a lot of time down there."
The Atwood native graduated from Ball State University with a degree in criminal justice in 1982 and worked for five years with the Milford Police Department before joining the sheriff's department in 1989.
Al Rovenstine is finishing his fourth term in office and has served in that role longer than anyone in the county's history.
"I feel I am in a unique position to bridge the gap between the philosophy of our younger officers and the proud tradition of the past," he said.
He said he accepts the fact that some of his proposals might be viewed by others and his father as criticisms of the department.
"We've disagreed in the past," he said. "He can criticize me and I can criticize him and I think we can still have a pretty good relationship."
He will not rest solely on his father's laurels during the campaign, though.
Jail expansion, which he said is needed as much for jail staff as it is for the inmates, needs to be addressed along with some type of juvenile detention services, Rovenstine said.
Although the commissioners will have the final decision, Rovenstine said he will await input from a study commission on the issue before offering his opinion on jail expansion.
Overhauling the dispatching center - and possible merging of the service with Warsaw - should be addressed after jail expansion is decided, he said.
As for juvenile detention, he said the county needs to look at building its own facility or joining other counties in a cooperative effort. The current practice of paying for space in distant facilities is the least desirable of the three available options, he said.
Rovenstine said he supports the current expansion of the drug education program known as DARE and wants to "take a serious look at the wages."
The department's wage levels, believed to rank among the lowest in north central Indiana, is another issue of concern Rovenstine voiced Friday.
A proposal seeking significant pay hikes for officers was not approved by county council this year.
"I believe our county wants and deserves well-educated and qualified officers, but we have to catch up with the times and offer competitive wages," Rovenstine said.
He said he would like to see computerization of patrol cars so officers in the far reaches of the county wouldn't have to return to Warsaw to file their reports.
He said he supports ways to provide in-house programs such as basic education and the jail ministry program for inmates to better prepare them for the future.
"Since they are a captive audience, we need to look at programs which might assist them when they're released rather than simply warehousing them."
Rovenstine is a member of the board of directors that oversees the jail ministry program, which has been active for about three years. He said he'd like to see area churches support the program.
Support for the program, though, doesn't mean he is soft on crime, he said.
Rovenstine will host a "Meet the Candidate Night" Nov. 18 at the Atwood Community Building, but won't actively be campaigning until after the holidays. [[In-content Ad]]
Aaron Rovenstine is proud of his father's legacy, but has his own plans if elected to replace him as sheriff of Kosciusko County.
The son of Al Rovenstine became the fourth person to officially announce intentions to run for sheriff.
At age 38, Rovenstine is the youngest of the four candidates to declare their intentions, but he has a unique corner on experience and familiarity with the department.
As early as 10 years of age, Rovenstine recalls, his father would drop him off at Center Lake Park for little league practice and he would then walk over to the sheriff's department afterward to get a ride home.
"I just hung around there and they put me to work" doing odd jobs, he said. "I spent a lot of time down there."
The Atwood native graduated from Ball State University with a degree in criminal justice in 1982 and worked for five years with the Milford Police Department before joining the sheriff's department in 1989.
Al Rovenstine is finishing his fourth term in office and has served in that role longer than anyone in the county's history.
"I feel I am in a unique position to bridge the gap between the philosophy of our younger officers and the proud tradition of the past," he said.
He said he accepts the fact that some of his proposals might be viewed by others and his father as criticisms of the department.
"We've disagreed in the past," he said. "He can criticize me and I can criticize him and I think we can still have a pretty good relationship."
He will not rest solely on his father's laurels during the campaign, though.
Jail expansion, which he said is needed as much for jail staff as it is for the inmates, needs to be addressed along with some type of juvenile detention services, Rovenstine said.
Although the commissioners will have the final decision, Rovenstine said he will await input from a study commission on the issue before offering his opinion on jail expansion.
Overhauling the dispatching center - and possible merging of the service with Warsaw - should be addressed after jail expansion is decided, he said.
As for juvenile detention, he said the county needs to look at building its own facility or joining other counties in a cooperative effort. The current practice of paying for space in distant facilities is the least desirable of the three available options, he said.
Rovenstine said he supports the current expansion of the drug education program known as DARE and wants to "take a serious look at the wages."
The department's wage levels, believed to rank among the lowest in north central Indiana, is another issue of concern Rovenstine voiced Friday.
A proposal seeking significant pay hikes for officers was not approved by county council this year.
"I believe our county wants and deserves well-educated and qualified officers, but we have to catch up with the times and offer competitive wages," Rovenstine said.
He said he would like to see computerization of patrol cars so officers in the far reaches of the county wouldn't have to return to Warsaw to file their reports.
He said he supports ways to provide in-house programs such as basic education and the jail ministry program for inmates to better prepare them for the future.
"Since they are a captive audience, we need to look at programs which might assist them when they're released rather than simply warehousing them."
Rovenstine is a member of the board of directors that oversees the jail ministry program, which has been active for about three years. He said he'd like to see area churches support the program.
Support for the program, though, doesn't mean he is soft on crime, he said.
Rovenstine will host a "Meet the Candidate Night" Nov. 18 at the Atwood Community Building, but won't actively be campaigning until after the holidays. [[In-content Ad]]