Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann, with more than 50 years of legal experience, is being challenged by a former deputy county prosecutor who wants to return to public work.
Germann, 78, is seeking his fourth term as the Porter County Prosecutor. The Democrat served his first four-year term after being elected in 1978, but then went into private practice. His current reign started with the 2018 election.
Andrew Bennett, 55, the Republican candidate, is attempting to do what Germann accomplished: return to work in public office after spending years in private practice.
Bennett has 16 years of experience as an assistant county prosecutor, serving 13 1/2 years as a Porter County deputy prosecutor before leaving in 2014.
ANDREW BENNETT
Bennett enjoyed his tenure with the Porter County Prosecutor’s office and wants to return.
“I am running because I didn’t want to leave in the first place,” Bennett said.
Growing up in Plainfield outside of Indianapolis, Bennett migrated to Northwest Indiana to attend Valparaiso University School of Law.
He started his career working as a deputy prosecutor for 2 1/2 years in Lake County, where he served with the Drug Unit and as assistant supervisor in the County Court Division. He then moved to the job he loved in Porter County.
The need for a larger income led Bennett to leave the prosecutor’s office and start his own practice as a defense attorney in Valparaiso in 2014.
When he served with the prosecutor’s office, Bennett said that his bosses, Jim Douglas and Brian Gensel, assigned their assistant prosecutors to categories of cases.
Bennett said his specialty was handling vehicular homicide and drunk driving cases.
Early in his tenure, Bennett said he developed the protocol for drawing blood in drunk driving cases. He said Porter County was one of the first to do so in the state.
If he is elected as prosecutor, Bennett said that he would concentrate on keeping officers better informed about changes in the law that affect their jobs.
“I think there needs to be improvement in police training from the prosecutor’s side,” Bennett said.
Bennett said he respects Germann as one of the best trial attorneys in Northwest Indiana, but he’s heard that multiple agencies no longer have the close connection to the prosecutor’s office that they formerly had.
Another common complaint is that the victims of crime aren’t adequately informed about the status of their cases, Bennett said.
“I will make sure they are being updated about what’s going on with their case,” Bennett said.
Bennett said that there also doesn’t seem to be consistency concerning how cases are settled rather than going to trial.
As the prosecutor, Bennett said he would work on developing stronger cases, fair treatment for defendants and treating victims with “dignity and respect.”
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GARY GERMANN
Germann may be 78 years old, but he is not close to retiring as he is seeking a third consecutive term as county prosecutor and a fourth overall.
In fact, Germann still is a competitive basketball player participating on a USA team in Federation of International Men’s Basketball tournaments, which features competition in different age groups. He plans to play next year in Brazil.
“I was really small in high school, so I couldn’t make the team,” Germann said. A love for the game, along with a delayed growth spurt, has led him to realize his hoop dreams in his later years.
Germann said he still loves the challenge of being an attorney.
First elected prosecutor in 1978, Germann decided after one four-year term to go into private law practice.
In 2018, Germann returned to public office when he defeated the incumbent Brian Gensel to regain his old job.
Germann said it has taken time, but the office culture has changed for the better during his stewardship.
“I love the job. It’s super-challenging and we have a great staff,” Germann said.
Germann points to his office obtaining convictions in three murder cases in March.
An independent analysis shows that the volume of work has grown to an extent that he could use 12 more attorneys to handle the caseload, Germann said.
With the financial challenges faced by governments, Germann said he knows that he won’t be able to get that much help.
It has also become more challenging to hire attorneys with the closure of Valparaiso University’s law school.
There are other new frontiers with the job, as there has been an increase in cybercrime, financial fraud and internet crimes against children.
“We have one of the lowest crime rates in Indiana and the nation, and I want to keep it that way,” Germann said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.