Law enforcement may not appeal to everyone, but for one Warsaw resident, nothing has ever looked better. Matt Holderman grew up knowing that he wanted to serve his community and follow the path that his father and grandfather had followed before him. As of July, as the newest recruit to the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s department, he is a third-generation sheriff’s deputy. Matt’s grandfather, Stanley Holderman, retired from KCSD in 1990, only to be replaced by his son, Larry Holderman. Matt will now work alongside his father. Matt has always dreamed of a job like this, he said. When he was a young boy, he would steal away to join the force for firearm training behind his grandfather’s house. His parents always had a police scanner running, and everyone would stop whatever they were doing if something came across. Now the routine has flipped. Matt went from listening to his grandfather’s stories from work to sharing his own stories with Stanley, who is eager to hear every detail. Matt graduated from Warsaw Community High School in 2008 and then from Vincennes University with an associate’s degree in criminal justice. Matt worked in the Kosciusko County Jail for the past four years until, on his third attempt, he was finally accepted into the force. Matt said he enjoyed his time working the jail as he gained quality communication skills. The hard conversations sheriff’s deputies often have are now second nature to Matt. Because of his family ties and work experience, he already has great rapport with a lot of the people in his field. Matt believes that these communication skills will benefit him greatly. “I know how people want to be treated,” Matt said, implying that he will treat them accordingly. On his second day at KCSD, he had to confront a man who he previously knew from working at the jail. Matt said that this relationship help to diffuse the situation. After a 15-week training period, Matt will be attending the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. After that, he will be on his own to patrol and serve the community he holds dearly. In the future, Matt said he is interested in working with the Kosciusko County Fatal Alcohol Crash Team. He would also like to imitate Stanley and be a firearms instructor.
