Board of Police Commissioners Supports Local Law Enforcement and Bridges Key Gaps
Writer / Melissa Gibson
Photography Provided
The role of police commissioner can mean something different based on location across the country. For the five men serving in Brownsburg, it’s a duty to their community and the hard-working men and women of the Brownsburg Police Department (BPD).
The police commissioners are appointed by the Brownsburg Town Council, one of which also serves on the Town Council as a liaison between the two boards. Currently, that council member is Vice President Matt Simpson.
The other four are Brownsburg residents with full-time jobs across the town, from school principal to local business manager – President Allan Bolante, Vice President Tim Cooper, Ray Kotarski and Don Spencer. The commissioner role is established by state statute, and under Section 32 of the Town of Brownsburg ordinance.
Each person loves their community, supports local law enforcement and enjoys giving back. They applied for the commissioner positions through the Town Council, interviewed for the jobs and were appointed by the local governing body.
“In my opinion we have one of the best police departments in the state,” says Town Council President Travis Tschaenn. “That takes a lot of people doing things the right way to maintain consistency. That comes from past councils, commissioners, town staff and, most importantly, our police officers and police leadership. When looking for new commissioners, we try to find people who fit the mold of wanting to help lead our community and, most importantly, have a heart for service and always to do the right thing.”
The gentlemen are not members of the police department. They don’t carry a gun, they don’t have arresting powers and they aren’t going to pull you over for speeding.
However, they do play an important role when it comes to ensuring local law enforcement has what they need to get their job done, and making sure Brownsburg’s taxes are spent appropriately.
Bolante has served on the Board of Police Commissioners for the past 12 years. He comes from a family of law enforcement. His brother, sister-in-law and niece have all served and he has always supported first responders.
Bolante says when a position became available for the three-year term, it sparked his interest and he applied.
“Our main role is the fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers,” Bolante says. “We hire and fire officers, modify and approve policy for the police department, and serve as the liaison between the residents of Brownsburg and the police department.”
Bolante offers an example of the commissioners’ work. Ten years ago it became apparent that the emergency response team (ERT) was in need of an armored vehicle.
“In the past we were using an old cargo van, but if someone was shooting with a high-powered weapon, we’d have a dozen officers in that van with little protection,” Bolante says. “Having an armored personnel carrier, or APC, is a bullet-proof vehicle protecting our ERT division. We were able to work with the Town Council and save the taxpayers a lot of money while still getting an important tool for our police department.”
The APC vehicle is not often displayed to the public, but residents of Brownsburg can check it out at the annual National Night Out event in October.
Cooper describes the role as a checks-and-balances approach to the system. He applied for the position three years ago with an interest in serving the community.
“We partner with the chief and his executive staff to provide the level of safety and service the town expects,” Cooper says. “We meet once per month and Chief [Joe] Grimes goes through the budget, expenditures and statistics for the month. We update and revise policy and the chief updates us with events or cases involving the BPD.”
Another example of how the commissioners, Town Council and law enforcement staff work together is the current staffing shortage at the police department. Several officers have retired in the past year, necessitating additional officers to fill the void.
“One of the biggest challenges we’re facing right now is the pace of growth in the community,” Cooper says. “We need to continue to adjust our practices and make sure we are staffed at a level to meet the needs of a growing population. There have been several retirements and resignations lately, and one of the roles of a commissioner is to serve on executive interview teams for new and lateral hiring processes.”
In fact, Grimes was hired by the Board of Police Commissioners in 1999 and appointed to his position as chief in 2016. Though other agencies across the country have tried other means of checks and balances, Grimes says this system seems to work well for Brownsburg.
“I’ve seen the trends in society – other agencies implementing other checks and balances – but I think this has worked well for us,” Grimes says. “Every meeting is live-streamed and then archived so residents can go back and look at them at a later date. We want to have an open door and transparency to our public. We established this model in the late ’80s and it’s working.”
Grimes can see the value of having citizens appointed to the commissioner board. Not only do they support the police department, but they also bring the viewpoint of a citizen.
“These are different personalities and whether they are retirees or businessmen and women, they are bringing a different viewpoint to the table,” Grimes says. “They have five different skill sets, five different experiences, and they each take their job seriously and want to optimize and continue what we’ve established.”
That citizen relationship also comes in handy when residents find the police department intimidating – something they work hard to dispel.
“I have been contacted many times by citizens who are just leery of calling the police department when they witness an incident,” says Kotarski, serving his 16th year as a police commissioner. “I often refer them back to the police department, but I can give them a name of someone to talk to.”
Kotarski was on the board at the time Grimes was appointed chief.
“Chief Grimes is a husband and father,” Kotarski says. “He’s approachable. I often see him talking with citizens at the Town Council meeting.”
Grimes appreciates the partnership between the commissioners and the department as well.
“There are citizens who are apprehensive about approaching law enforcement and they like to reach out to a resident like themselves,” Grimes says. “The commissioners have facilitated the ability to close that gap and I think we now have a community open to having direct communication with us. We have so many community members who have come to understand that we are people behind the badge.”
Becoming one of the safest towns in the state doesn’t come without hard work and a lot of collaboration.
“The reason we can say we’re one of the safest in the state is because of the dedication of the police officers,” Kotarski says. “They are constantly training and taking advantage of every opportunity. I’m very fortunate to be a part of this professional police organization. These men and women are on the front line and supporting them has always been my motivation.”
For more information, visit brownsburg.org.
