LaPorte police refuse to recognize new chief; mayor responds that appointment was properly done
Dick Buell is sworn in Feb. 5 as the new police chief in LaPorte.
LAPORTE — Local police officers say they are not recognizing the recent appointment of Richard Buell as their chief, claiming his civilian status runs contrary to city code.
The officers, speaking through the local Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 54, call on Mayor Tom Dermody to correct the perceived wrong and replace Buell with one of the qualified internal candidates who applied for the department's top job.
"In the meantime, we recognize Assistant Chief Matthew Drangmeister as a legitimate officer who has earned his appointment, and we shall operate under his leadership until the time a new Chief is appointed," the FOP wrote in a letter addressed to "the citizens of LaPorte."
In their letter, the FOP said the mayor is required under local ordinance to name a police chief from within the department who has served five years within the ranks immediately prior to the appointment.
"It is our belief that the intent of the city ordinance was to limit the office of Chief of Police to a certified police officer with the authority to enforce the law and make arrests — Mr. Buell is neither of these things as a non-sworn, citizen appointee," according to the FOP statement.
The ordinance was also designed as a safeguard against the appearance of nepotism and corruption, the FOP said. The group said Buell's appointment contradicts these two principles, but did not elaborate.
"We ask our community to carefully consider the implications of our city's leadership being able to violate our codes and make changes to cover up their own wrongdoings," the FOP said.
But Dermody said his appointment of Buell was legal, and he said he expects the city's officers to honor Buell's appointment.
Dermody said the local code cited by the FOP is no longer in effect because a 1996 change in state law gave mayors the authority to hire police chiefs from outside their departments.
“This is legal. The ordinance doesn’t matter because it’s invalid,” Dermody said Tuesday.
Dermody also questioned whether the definition of "outside the department" applies to Buell, since the first five years of his 30-year law enforcement career were spent with the LaPorte Police Department.
“His credentials are second to none and we need a stronger leader to come in,” Dermody said.
He said he didn’t want to return to a time when officers complained about the police chief, prior to his appointment of recently retired Chief Paul Brettin in 2020.
The mayor also warned that any officer will be dealt with for ignoring the authority of Buell as chief.
“I can tell you this. Insubordination will be addressed," Dermody said. "They will recognize him as the chief.”
During a Feb. 5 swearing-in ceremony for Buell, the mayor said that there were five finalists for the position of chief and that Buell was "hands down" the right choice.
"I knew we had to find someone capable of carrying the momentum. Someone with the proper experience who cares about our community and would bring the same no-nonsense approach when it comes to protecting our residents," Dermody said that day.
Buell replaced Brettin upon the latter's retirement as chief after a 30-year law enforcement career, spent entirely in LaPorte.
Buell had worked for the LaPorte Police Department the first six years of his career before transferring to the LaPorte County Sheriff's Department, where he served as jail commander and then as executive director of LaPorte County Community Corrections.
He retired from law enforcement in 2019 before being brought back this month by Dermody.
At a City Council meeting Tuesday night, a potential vote to amend city code to specify the mayor's authority to appoint a chief from outside the department was withdrawn after the city attorney said state law had already invalidated the city's ordinance prohibiting that.
Police Officer Robert Metcalf said Tuesday night the FOP had communicated with attorneys who agree with their position that the chief must come from among the department's ranks.
"As of right now, with this being a fluid situation, we don't know legally where we're going to be 24, 48, a week, two weeks from now," he said.
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