(La Porte, IN) - A former law enforcement officer has come out of retirement to take over as police chief in LaPorte.
Dick Buell said his top priority is continuing the aggressive fight against drug dealers since Tom Dermody became mayor slightly more than four years ago.
“We’re going to do everything we can to run them out,” he said.
He said reducing drug activity is key to lowering the amount of other crimes, like burglary, theft, and robbery, along with violence in general.
“If we can conquer the drug problem, we’re in a much better situation,” he said.
Buell took over the reins Monday after being sworn into office by Dermody at LaPorte City Hall. He doesn’t plan to make sweeping changes right away, saying any difference in direction will not be decided until after a thorough evaluation.
Buell, a former high school football standout in Michigan City, said he plans to bring to the department the same team, grind-it-out approach he learned from the game he went on to play in college.
“You’re no better than the least experienced individual on that team. Buckle down, get the job done and go from there,” he said.
He replaces Paul Brettin, who decided to retire after a 30-year law enforcement career spent entirely in LaPorte. Under Brettin the past four years, the once short-on-manpower department is back to full strength with a newly created team of officers strictly targeting drug dealers.
Other accomplishments cited by Brettin included adding the latest in crime-fighting technology such as drones, license plate reading cameras, and wireless parking enforcement.
Dermody said there were five finalists for the position, but 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.
Buell spent his first six years in law enforcement with the La Porte Police Department. He then spent 20 years with the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office where he was jail commander prior to becoming executive director of La Porte County Community Corrections.
Buell retired in 2019.
After the announcement, Buell said he wasn’t thinking about coming out of retirement until the opportunity for a new challenge presented itself.
“For whatever reason, this piqued my interest and, in speaking with the mayor and other individuals, I figured I’m going to give this a shot,” he said.
Buell said he expects to hit the ground running in many ways but will have to brush up on the latest in crime-fighting technology.
“I’ve got to get up to speed on that but the crux of it is law enforcement is fundamental and that never changes. I’m ready to go,” he said.
Matthew Drangmeister, a 16-year veteran of the department, was named assistant chief. He replaces Bill Degnegaard, who retired in late January. Brettin will stay with the department until the end of May to help with the transition.
