Sheriff still deploys courtesy deputies
NWI Times
Jun 18, 2017
CROWN POINT — Some politicians usually have little more to offer their petitioners than a hearty handshake.
The Lake County sheriff can rain stars down on his.
Sheriff John Buncich has conferred special deputy commissions on 230 men and women, including politically connected business people, current or former government officials and precinct committee members, according to a list of names Buncich has provided The Times.
Police in Lake County have said privately and not for the record that the existence of special deputies has been an annoyance to uniformed police officers in Northwest Indiana who are required to undergo hours of training in the use of guns, emergency and other law enforcement skills — disciplines not required of special deputies.
Buncich acknowledged to The Times now and in the past that former sheriffs in the 1980s traded deputy sheriff commissions for political contributions, and some holders abused the commissions by harassing members of the public or getting out of traffic tickets.
Buncich said he hated the process as a county police officer and sued to stop the abuses. He said as sheriff all his deputies have passed background checks and he won't give special consideration to precinct committee members or political contributors.
"That has absolutely not occurred," said John Bushemi, legal counsel for the sheriff, and himself a special deputy.
Bushemi said some believe the cards, which bear a gold star and Buncich's signature, carry some authority, but "legally it's just a piece of paper. None convey police powers, and none allow the holder to carry a gun without a permit," Bushemi said.
Buncich said the only deputy sheriff commissions he issues with police powers are to municipal police officers, county jail corrections officers, school and court security officers, bailiffs and some state and federal law enforcement personnel.
He didn't estimate how many of the law enforcement deputy sheriff commissions are in circulation. The Times found there were 1,100 issued to law enforcement in 2001. Buncich said he hasn't issued that many.
Bushemi said state law authorizes all county sheriffs to appoint special deputies. "They are issued in all 92 counties," Bushemi said.
Porter, LaPorte counties
Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds said he has deputized county animal control staff so they can gain access to sensitive police records and some dentists who work crime scenes for his department. But he signs few special deputy commissions, knowing they are an annoyance to trained and uniformed police officers in Northwest Indiana, he said.
"I know I have the power to give them out," Reynolds said. "Last week, I did one for (Chesterton) Town Manager Bernie Doyle. He is a veteran. Mainly, it's so he can put it on his desk, but everyone else knows how I feel, and they don't even ask."
LaPorte County Sheriff John T. Boyd said he will deputize state prison employees to serve court papers, for his office, on state prison inmates, but said, "We no longer give out courtesy commissions."
Robert Deliget said he was a Lake County Sheriff's Department civilian employee and deputy sheriff in the 1970s when he served court papers under the late Sheriff Leslie Pruitt.
Today, at age 75, Deliget is still a deputy sheriff and works for Buncich as an overseer of the county jail "road crew" inmates who perform community services.
Past Lake practices
A high tide of deputizing all comers in Lake County occurred under former Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei during the mid-1980s before he was forced out of office by a U.S. attorney's office public corruption prosecution.
One of Bartolomei's special deputies, Mike Mokol Jr., got into a dispute with a pizza delivery man, flashed his deputy credentials and beat him. The victim sued, and it cost the county thousands of dollars.
Stephen R. "Bob" Stiglich, who succeeded Bartolomei as county sheriff, told The Times in 2001 that "there had been a lot of incidents like that around the county."
He said he made all of Bartolomei's special deputies turn in their credentials and overhauled the applications process to eliminate the "carte blanche" issuance of commissions.
Buncich, who served as sheriff from 1994 to 2002 and returned to office in 2010, said he now requires deputy sheriff applicants to sign an agreement that financially indemnifies Lake County for damages resulting from their negligent exercise of special deputy powers. He can revoke deputy sheriff commissions in cases of misbehavior.
Lake County Attorney John Dull said the county hasn't had to defend any lawsuits caused by deputy sheriffs since the 1980s, so the indemnity agreement is yet to be tested.
Robert Bullock, Gary's 1-6 Democratic precinct committeeman and a Buncich contributor in 2008, said he needed a special deputy commission for protection. "I had a couple of day care centers in a bad neighborhood, but when I got sick, I closed them." He said he has since misplaced his commission card.
Current Lake practices
Hobart City Councilman John Brezik, D-5th; Hammond City Councilman Anthony Higgs, D-3rd; and New Chicago Town Councilwoman Tara Pelfrey, D-4th; said their deputy sheriff commissions are related to their government work.
Pelfrey is the coordinator for the sheriff's sex offender registry. Brezik said he work's part time for the Sheriff's Department. Higgs works for the Lake County Board of Commissioners. He said he wants one in case any emergency arises in the county's Hammond courthouse, where he is an engineer.
Fred Cicco said he received a deputy sheriff commission while doing business with the sheriff's office, providing clothing worn by police and corrections officers beyond their basic uniform.
Gary attorney John Hall said he received one a couple of years ago for personal protection.
Hall said, "I know the sheriff very well from a couple of years ago when the Katie Hall Foundation gave him an award for being an outstanding person in appreciation for his service." The foundation contributed to the sheriff's re-election in 2014. Katie Hall is a former U.S. congresswoman and Gary clerk. John Hall was her husband.
Martine Vagenas said she's had one since she was a Superior Court administrator, a position she retired from seven years ago.
Speros Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, said he's had one since 1989. "For me it's largely sentimental. My dad was a captain in the deputy sheriff's department, and my grandfather was a deputy sheriff as well."
Wally DeRose, a retired Gary police officer, a federal investigator and a deputy sheriff commission-holder, said, "It's true, some police officers were thinking it was a politician with a badge, which is BS to me.
"I think that changed. The Sheriff's Department decided there were liability issues. We can't have people running around flashing badges. Subsequent sheriffs, including John Buncich, stepped forward and said this makes us look bad, with guys running around drunk with a badge.
"I've had one for 30 years. If I see a police officer who needs assistance, I will show my retirement badge and deputy sheriff commission badge, too, to provide more emphasis to it.
"You work under the direction of the sheriff, but if you are already engaged in law enforcement, it provides a backup to the powers you already have," DeRose said.
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