The majority of the candidates for Lake County Sheriff who participated in a Wednesday debate emphasized the need to rein in the department’s commissary fund as well as mixed emotions about cooperating with ICE.
The Democratic candidates who participated were Jerry Williams, Steven Flores, Maria Garcia Trajkovich, Edward Jenkins and Jason Gore. Democratic candidate (Jack) John Gregory Sanchez didn’t attend.
The only Republican candidate, former Lake County Sheriff’s Department officer David K. Crane Jr., also participated in the debate held at Beyond 4 Walls Christian Center in Gary.
Williams started his career in law enforcement as a correctional officer before being hired by the Indiana State Police, where he’s worked for the last 32 years. Williams, a Gary native, rose through the ranks to become an Indiana State Police Major.
Flores, who is the St. John Chief of Police, grew up in East Chicago and has been in law enforcement for 25 years. When Flores served as a detective for the St. John Police, he worked on cases with other police departments with the Northwest Indiana Major Crimes Task Force.
Trajkovich has worked at the Lake County Sheriff’s Department for 27 years where she started in the jail records department and ultimately became a police officer. Trajkovich said she currently patrols in Gary, and she’s previously worked on the department’s drug task force and prisoner transport.
Jenkins, a Lake County Deputy Sheriff, grew up in Gary. He’s served the department for nearly 30 years. At one point in his career, former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich sent Jenkins to serve along with the Gary Police Department Homicide Unit to assist with homicide, robbery and shooting cases.
Gore, who was born and raised in Hammond, said he has 27 years of experience with the Merrillville Police Department, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. During his time with ATF, Gore said he assisted in investigating many racketeering and corrupt organizations cases and arresting gang members.
Crane said he worked for the Lake County Sheriff’s Department for 17 years as an officer and a corporal before retiring after being hurt in the line of duty.
Candidates were asked to address the findings from a recent state audit that showed the sheriff’s department improperly spent nearly $300,000 for charity or church donations, golf outings, and travel costs. Under Indiana law, commissary funds can be spent on merchandise for the commissary, training, equipment or programs, among other things.
Auditors flagged 221 purchases totaling $265,000 from the jail’s commissary fund from January 2022 to December 2024 that violated state law, noting that Martinez often mischaracterized the expenses as “Prevent Juvenile Delinquency,” “(Juvenile) Crime Prevention,” and “Community Relations.” In one instance, records show Karma Cigar Bar in Merrillville was paid $5,000 in July 2023 for “family violence prevention.” The report concluded Karma got $17,500 in total for “preventing juvenile delinquency” and $3,500 as a “cerebral palsy donation.
Specifically, candidates were asked if they worked for the department, what they knew about the misuse in funds, and how they would improve the commissary spending if elected sheriff.
Trajkovich said she had no role in commissary spending and that she didn’t witness anything related to commissary fund spending.
“Who is going to arrest the sheriff if he’s committed a crime? I’m not the person to tell the sheriff what to do,” Trajkovich said.
If elected, Trajkovich said she’d request an audit of the department.
“I want to know where every penny is. I want to know how every penny is spent. I want to know how it was handled,” Trajkovich said.
While serving in the sheriff’s department, Jenkins said his integrity has never been questioned. In the last 9 years, the department has received upgrades in training and equipment, “like I’ve never seen before,” he said.
Jenkins said he never saw any misuse of commissary funds, but if elected, he would ensure transparency in the department.
Gore advocated hiring a comptroller who would “be in control of all dollars in and out.” The comptroller would report to him, Gore said, but also work with the Indiana State Board of Accounts.
“If he or she says, ‘Hey Jason, you cannot do this,’ then I can’t do it. I’m not going to override their word and I’m not going to put my thumb on their authority. They are the subject matter experts, and I will treat them as such,” Gore said.
Gore said he would present all commissary fund spending to the Lake County Council and Lake County Board of Commissioners quarterly, then make that information available on the sheriff’s website.
Crane said the State Board of Accounts only reviewed the last 3 years. Without evidence, Crane suggested that if the department reviewed commissary data for the last 10 years the auditors would’ve found more misspending of the funds.
“There is a lot of oversight that needs to happen. When you elect me, I’ll make sure that that oversight is in place and we won’t have to worry about another one of our public dollars being misspent,” Crane said.
Williams said he would follow state law for spending commissary funds and hire a comptroller to review the spending.
As chief of police, Flores said he reviews and oversees the department’s budget, which also requires working with the State Board of Accounts.
“Accountability and transparency is what it takes,” Flores said. “We’re going to continue that at the sheriff’s department. We’re going to have audits, internal audits, that we’re going to do constantly to make sure that our funds are being spent where they need to be spent and they are being spent smart.”
The candidates were asked about cooperating with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort in which U.S. citizens have been injured and killed by federal agents.
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Trajkovich said if an undocumented person has a dangerous criminal background, that person “absolutely 100%” should be deported, she said. But, Trajkovich said it’s important that the federal government secure judicial warrants to deport people, which would require the department to comply like it does now.
Trajkovich said she doesn’t support agents pulling people out of cars and detaining them, calling it “inhumane.”
Jenkins said if a judicial warrant has a judge’s signature, then the department will cooperate, but, “no one’s due process will be violated.” The department would also protect citizens who protest peacefully, he said.
Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, Gore said, so the department can’t stop agents from coming into Lake County. The Indiana legislature just passed an immigration enforcement law that will start to require sheriff’s departments to cooperate with ICE, Gore said, and if elected he wouldn’t break state law.
“We’re going to protect the rights of people to protest, and we’re going to try to protect everyone here in Lake County and do our job per state law,” Gore said.
If ICE came to Lake County, Crane said he and sheriff’s deputies would be visible, out on the street, helping with traffic control and protecting citizens’ right to peaceful protest.
“Your sheriff needs to be there as your watchdog to make sure no one’s rights are being violated in this county,” Crane said.
Williams said the way federal agents are treating people “is beyond inhumane,” drawing parallels between the police brutality of the Civil Rights era to the tactics ICE agents are using today.
Williams said he would comply with all federal and state laws, but “this is beyond that.”
“This is about human dignity and treating people right,” Williams said. “We can do better. We can treat better, and we insist on it.”
Flores said the sheriff’s department would have to follow all federal and state laws when ICE conducts arrests in Lake County.
“If they come here and they are violating policy, they are violating procedures, they are violating state laws, I think … we can speak up,” Flores said. “But, if they are coming here doing their jobs, following their rules, following the laws, following their policies and procedures – like we have to – I’m fine with that because there are people that they should be going after that are violent felons or violent criminals.”
The candidates were asked what major issue they’d like to address in Lake County if elected sheriff.
Crane said he would establish an oversight committee, made up of citizens from every community in the county, to address officer complaints.
Within the first 90 days, Williams said he would establish a policy that no employee from the department can donate to his campaign, complete an audit of the department, and review leadership roles in the department.
Flores said he would like to provide crisis intervention training for officers when responding to mental health and drug crisis calls. He’d also like to improve community education and interaction to keep residents informed about what is happening in their communities.
As sheriff, Trajkovich said she would maintain current employees within the department who are doing their jobs well and allow them to grow and lead within the department.
If elected, Jenkins said he would aim to partner and communicate with police departments within the county and continue with the department’s current practice of equipping and training officers.
Gore said, if elected, he would focus on lowering violent crime rates, drug overdose rates, sex trafficking cases and traffic accident rates. Within the first 100 days, Gore said he would hire a command staff, audit the department, and hire 25 new correctional officers.