GRIFFITH | The Town Council named Griffith Detective Greg Mance as its new police chief Tuesday.
Council members voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Griffith Safety Board.
"The Safety Board went through a lot of resumes," said council President Glen Gaby, R-1.
Mance, 37, is a Griffith resident and has been on the Griffith force for 14 years.
His police resume includes service in the patrol division as a patrol supervisor and in crime investigations, where he most recently served as the unit commander.
Council Vice President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd, said Mance also was assigned to the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force.
Ryfa said Mance has been awarded three times by the Northwest Indiana Public Information Officers Association.
Mance holds a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice and a Master of Public Affairs degree, both from Indiana University Northwest.
Mance said he expects to introduce various philosophies to the department and town in the future, along with partnerships with other police departments. Those philosophies include intelligence-led policing, community-orientated policing and problem-orientated policing.
Mance said these philosophies will make it easier to identify problems and eliminate them with various law enforcement methods.
"I am extremely proud that the Griffith Town Council has selected me to be the next chief of police," Mance said. "It is an honor that I do not take lightly, and I look forward to the many opportunities to prove myself as a leader to the people of Griffith."
Mance was sworn in by Clerk-Treasurer George Jerome and replaces interim Police Chief Matt Moore.
The council honored Moore with a certificate of recognition for the job he did while town officials searched for a permanent chief.
Also honored were Patrol Lt. Jeff Gang and Detective Lt. Matt Argadine.
"This is a small thank you from the Griffith Town Council, Safety Board, our citizens and even your own officers that have voiced their appreciation for your work over the last three months," Ryfa said.
In other business, Ryfa said the Calumet Township secession bill, which recently passed the Indiana House, should be assigned to an Indiana Senate committee late this week or early next week.
"The next big step is to get this out of the Senate committee and to the full floor," Ryfa said.
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