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In the end, experience won out over education, with council members Terry Hill and Ron Hall voting to employ Terry Cahill, who has served the town for a year as a reserve officer.
The other finalist, council member Jerry Kreger's choice, was Heidi Wise.
"Both candidates are highly qualified," said Ron Hall at the public meeting that followed the interviews. "It might be best to flip a coin."
"It is a real tough decision," he said, "but I move we hire Terry Cahill because of his past work record with the town."
Cahill will begin as a full-time deputy next week.
He is 23, single and a native of Alaska. He has an associate's degree in law enforcement from Vincennes University.
A split decision by the board is a rare event and Kreger said afterward he thought Wise was the better choice because she had been to the academy.
"An officer who has been through the academy saves the town $6,000. We pay the officer for full-time employment while they're at the academy," Kreger said.
"We've been used as a steppingstone to bigger departments too many times. We pay for the academy and the officer leaves."
Kreger said a female officer also would make for a well-rounded department.
"There are certain situations a woman is more suited for," he said. "Other women may feel more comfortable talking to her."
Hall and Hill said Cahill was a known entity and they were very happy with his past service to the town as an unpaid reserve.
Reserve officers patrol the town on weekends while regular officers work during the week to provide 24-hour coverage.
Cahill joins town marshal George Alexander and deputies Tim Sammons and Mark Wise.
