Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
If you ask Chris McKeand about his part in an incident on May 13, he will just say he was doing his job.
The Indiana Sheriff's Association thinks differently. And the ISA proved it by naming McKeand the Indiana Sheriff's Officer of the year in a ceremony Sunday evening.
"Every year the Sheriff's Association honors a deputy, a dispatcher and a jail officer," said Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine. "To get the award, officers must be nominated by their sheriff. Each sheriff can only nominate one person in each category. They are honored for going above and beyond regular duty.
"As far back as we can determine - we have records from the last 35 years - he is the first Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department officer to receive this award. We are very proud of this accomplishment."
On May 13, McKeand and several other officers from the area were called to 9821 Rock-A-Bye Lane in Syracuse, where Robert Louden had been fighting with his 16-year-old son earlier in the day. When the first officers, Rick Shepherd and Jeff Howie arrived on the scene, Louden had locked himself inside the residence and refused to answer the door. As officers were backing out of his driveway, Louden began shooting and hit both cars with .12-gauge slugs and buckshot. The officers, as well as a civilian driving nearby, were forced out of their cars and pinned down. A short time later, a Syracuse officer arrived and was forced out of his car and pinned down as well.
During this time, McKeand was contacted and got in touch with the dispatcher.
"Our dispatcher made the initial contact with him, and I insisted on getting in contact with him," said McKeand, a trained negotiator. "Louden had barricaded himself inside the trailer. I arrived shortly after the Syracuse officers and two initial deputies. He shot off approximately 70 rounds at us. This is definitely the first time I've ever been shot at. I am getting ready to start my eighth year, and hopefully it's 20 years before it happens again."
But McKeand remained calm in the situation. Once he got in contact with Louden, McKeand worked for three hours to diffuse the situation and persuade Louden to surrender to the officers waiting outside.
"There was a three-hour standoff, and thanks to hostage negotiation, no one was injured seriously," said Rovenstine. "Chris is a trained negotiator, and he was extremely patient in the situation. Chris was excellent. He was on the phone with the suspect for three hours. I tell you, I had a good night's sleep, and that's saying a lot considering the situation. Many things could have happened, but thanks to Chris, we got the best outcome possible."
But McKeand is quick to give credit to the other people involved in the incident.
"Everybody out there that day did an outstanding job," said McKeand.
While McKeand is quick to give recognition to others, he is no stranger to excellence.
After studying political science, criminology and criminal justice at Ball State University, McKeand was an intern at the Kosciusko County Jail. Then he attended the law enforcement academy in 1998 and graduated No. 1 in his class.
"Chris started as an intern at the jail in 1995," said Rovenstine. "He was later promoted to jail officer and has moved up the ranks quickly from road officer to corporal to sergeant in just three or four years."
After the May 13 situation, Rovenstine decided to nominate McKeand for the award.
"(Sheriff Rovenstine) asked me a few questions that gave me an inkling that I might be nominated, but I wasn't expecting anything to come of it," said McKeand. "And that was the last I heard if it until they told me I had won the award. I am honored by it."
