Sheriff Bright talks staffing, technology and his first four months on WILO’s Party Line
FRANKFORT – Clinton County Sheriff Brendon Bright was upbeat on his first four months and continues to ask residents for patience as he nears four months in office. Sheriff Bright spoke Friday morning, Sept. 25, on the Party Line program on WILO 96.9 FM, WILO AM 1570 and Boone 102.7 FM. Kaspar Media also streamed the program LIVE and Archived World-wide on Hoosierland.TV.
“My nature is to make slower decisions, educated decisions,” Bright said. “I’m not gonna act real fast and come in there and make a lot of rash decisions.”
Bright was sworn in May 23. He said the job has been about what he expected. The biggest surprise was how the department’s staff responded to him. He said he had been “a little anxious” about it, but called the staff “fabulous and fantastic.” He also pushed back on outside talk that he would “clean house,” saying that “was farthest from the truth.”
Staffing and training
Three new deputies graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in August. They are now in a field training program that lasts about four months. They rotate among training officers and shifts, get daily observation reports, and move into a monitored “shadow phase” before they are released for solo patrol. Bright said it takes a little under a year from hiring to solo patrol, counting pre-basic training, the 16-week academy, and time in the investigations division.
The office is also hiring for three more openings. Advertising started in July and testing in August. Background checks, polygraphs and interviews are still underway, and conditional offers are about a month away. Bright called the hiring exciting but “taxing” for a small agency whose “numbers are a bit low.”
Drones, AI and license plate cameras
Bright called drones one of the biggest technology advances he has seen and “a game changer for law enforcement.” He said infrared drones help find people who run from police or wander away from crashes. Small drones can also clear houses, which keeps officers safer. He pointed to Thursday’s full-scale hazmat exercise with the county’s emergency planning committee. In that drill, a city drone zoomed in on a train car’s hazard placard, a job that once meant someone had to get close with binoculars. He said department drones can cost five figures and likely need replacing every three to four years.
Looking further ahead, Bright said he would like “drones as first responders” someday. Drones could be based at volunteer fire departments and reach a scene in minutes, compared with about 15 minutes to drive across the county. He said the cost is still high.
On artificial intelligence, Bright said the department does not use it yet. Some larger agencies use AI to watch camera feeds or draft reports from body camera footage. He called AI report writing “contentious” and said “you can argue both sides of it.” Officers still have to review and sign off on the reports.
Bright said he generally favors Flock license plate cameras, which have drawn criticism in the news lately. He said agencies need “a strong policy,” plus audits and standards for how the cameras are used. The county does not have any. The city of Frankfort and the Rossville Police Department do. Bright said he believes the cameras would have quickly solved Rossville’s fatal hit-and-run. He said they were used in the county’s July homicide case, and he noted they are expensive.
Listener questions: Motorcycles up for sale
One caller asked about the case against the former sheriff, whose trial the caller said was in July. Bright said he does not follow the case and pointed listeners to the public court records site, mycase.in.gov. The caller also asked why residents should expect better from him as a Republican. Bright said he is “genuine” and “transparent” and doesn’t see himself as a politician who says one thing and does another. Party Line host Cindy Loveless said having the sheriff back in the studio was a step toward transparency.
Another caller asked about the department’s Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Bright said the office is trying to sell its four motorcycles, two newer and two older, ideally to another agency since they are already fitted with lights, sirens and markings. He said the department is too small to assign a deputy to motor patrol.
Programs and trends
Bright praised a program that puts inmates to work in the community, such as helping at the recent WILO Senior Fair. Inmates apply, and a committee of jail officers, command staff and probation officials selects them. He said the goal is to lower recidivism. He credited program director Jamie Bolinger J.C.A.P. Administration Co-ordinator. (Jail Chemical Addiction Program) and said he hopes Bolinger can come on the show later.
He also promoted the sheriff’s office mobile app. Residents can use it to see the current inmate list, submit tips and patrol requests, and contact staff.
On crime trends, Bright said nothing is spiking. Drunk driving and low-level drug possession are still steady problems. “I haven’t seen any trends of anything going up or down,” Bright said.
