Starke County Sheriff's Office

10/13/2026

We're putting together a call list for anyone interested in processing deer that Deputies or DNR may come across.

If you're interested in being contacted when a deer becomes available, please fill out the Google Form below. Dispatch will use the list to contact individuals as opportunities arise.

Filling out the form does not guarantee a deer will be available, but it will help us connect with those who are interested!

Thank you!

10/09/2026

TRAFFIC ALERT: PACIFIC AVENUE (50 S)

Beginning Monday, October 12, 2026, Norfolk Southern will be making repairs to the railroad tracks on Pacific Avenue (50 S), just west of Klockner Road (300 E).

During the repairs, truck routes will be affected as follows:

• Factories east of the railroad tracks: Trucks will need to use State Road 8 to 300 E.

• Factories west of the railroad tracks: Trucks will need to use State Road 8 to Range Road, then take 50 S.

Repairs are expected to continue throughout the week. Please plan accordingly and allow extra time for travel.

Please share this information with local businesses and truck drivers who may be affected by the road closures.

10/03/2026

When a child or vulnerable adult goes missing, every minute matters. Getting accurate information into the hands of the community quickly can make a difference.

In 2024, the Starke County Sheriff’s Office introduced the Child Is Missing program to our community and local businesses. This program provides another way to quickly notify people when someone is reported missing.

Child Is Missing is a phone alerting system that can send automated calls and text messages to people within a specific geographic area. Using digital mapping, alerts can be sent to a precise radius or targeted to specific neighborhoods where information may be most helpful.

There are a few important things to know about these alerts.

You must register to receive Child Is Missing alerts. The messages will not come from a local phone number, so if you are registered, please be aware that an unfamiliar number may be used when an alert is sent.

Child Is Missing is different from an AMBER Alert or Silver Alert. AMBER and Silver Alerts have specific criteria that must be met before an alert can be issued and are subject to approval through Indiana State Police.

For example, in Indiana, runaway children and child custody disputes generally do not meet the criteria for an AMBER Alert. A runaway may qualify for a Silver Alert if a medical authority can verify an underlying health condition that places the individual in danger.

Child Is Missing provides another tool to help get information out quickly when a situation does not meet the requirements for an AMBER or Silver Alert.

And remember, you can also help simply by sharing. When you see a missing person post from a trusted source, sharing that information can help get it in front of more people and expand the reach of the information.

We know many people in our community are already receiving Child Is Missing notifications, and we appreciate everyone who has taken the time to register and stay informed. If you are not currently receiving these alerts but would like to, we encourage you to sign up so you can be notified when someone is reported missing in your area.

We hope these notifications are never needed, but when they are, having more eyes and ears in our community can make a difference. Thank you for continuing to watch out for one another and for helping us spread the word when someone needs to be found.

10/02/2026

🍂🎃 REMINDER! 🎃🍂

Our annual Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat is quickly approaching, and we are still looking for car show registrants! 🚗🍁

If you are interested in bringing your vehicle out for the car show, please contact Becca or April as soon as possible to get registered.

We would love to see our community come out, show off their rides, enjoy some fall fun, and make this year’s event another great one! 🍂👻🎃

09/30/2026

🚨 **COMMUNITY NOTICE** 🚨

If you notice a heavier-than-usual police presence in the area of the Hamlet Fairgrounds today, there is no cause for alarm. Local law enforcement will be conducting training exercises, which may result in an increased number of officers and emergency vehicles in the area.

We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding while this important training takes place.

09/28/2026

🔥 CONTROLLED BURN NOTICE 🔥

Our Dispatch Center has received multiple emergency and non-emergency calls regarding heavy smoke in the area of 450 E and 250 S. The smoke is significant and can be seen from US 35 and 200 S.

This is a controlled burn and there is currently no threat to the community.

We appreciate everyone being alert and looking out for our community. We wanted to share this information so everyone is aware of the source of the smoke.

09/22/2026

Saturday, September 19th, we hosted our Women's Basic Handgun Safety Course. Participants spent the morning in our training room learning safe fi***rm handling, best practices for fi***rm storage, and other important fundamentals. After lunch, participants headed to the range for a hands-on, live-fire training session! Thank you to all of our participants who helped make this course a success! We appreciate your time & participation! And thank you to Deputies Jovanovich, Leonhardt, and McDaniel for helping out at the range!

09/22/2026

There's still a bit of time to sign up for our next Citizens Police Academy class beginning October 7th!

This academy will provide an engaging, hands-on opportunity to tour our facilities and meet the employees who serve in a variety of divisions. Participants will receive a front-row, interactive look at how we operate and how we continually work to serve our community more effectively.

Training will begin on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, and will continue for the next four Wednesdays: October 14, October 21, October 28, and November 4, with graduation on November 11. Classes will be held from 5:00–8:00 p.m.

Please email [email protected] for an application, or pick one up at the Starke County Justice Center. Completed applications may be emailed to [email protected], or dropped off at the Starke County Justice Center, 5435 East State Road 8, Knox, Indiana 46534.

More information & the application can also be found here:

Citizens Police Academy Posted By: admin September 16, 2026 The Starke County Sheriff’s Office is excited to announce our second Citizens Police Academy for 2026! We will be selecting up to twenty current Starke County residents, business owners, school leaders, and other individuals with a vested...

09/15/2026

The Starke County Sheriff’s Office is excited to announce our second Citizens Police Academy for 2026! We will be selecting up to twenty current Starke County residents, business owners, school leaders, and other individuals with a vested interest in our community.
This academy will provide an engaging, hands-on opportunity to tour our facilities and meet the employees who serve in a variety of divisions, including Dispatch, Jail Operations, Patrol, Detectives, Drone Teams, K-9 Teams, and the SRT Team. Participants will receive a front-row, interactive look at how we operate and how we continually work to serve our community more effectively.
Training will begin on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, and will continue for the next four Wednesdays: October 14, October 21, October 28, and November 4, with graduation on November 11. Classes will be held from 5:00–8:00 p.m.
Please email [email protected] for an application, or pick one up at the Starke County Justice Center. Once completed, applications may be emailed back to [email protected], or dropped off at the Starke County Justice Center, 5435 East State Road 8, Knox, Indiana 46534.
*Edited to add that applications can also be downloaded here:https://starkecountysheriff.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Citizens-Police-Academy-App.pdf *

09/11/2026

Today marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, a day that forever changed our nation.

For those of us at the Starke County Sheriff’s Office, our memories of that day are different. Some of our employees had not yet been born. Others were too young to remember. Some were sitting in classrooms when the news broke that our nation was under attack, while others were already serving their communities as first responders and had begun careers dedicated to public service.

For Sheriff Rosa, however, September 11 is more than a day remembered through photographs, news reports, or history books. It is a tragedy he witnessed firsthand.

At the time of the attacks, Sheriff Rosa was serving as a U.S. Marshal. In the aftermath of September 11, he led a team of U.S. Marshals at Ground Zero, working alongside fellow law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and other first responders in the midst of unimaginable devastation.

He saw firsthand the destruction left behind and the tremendous human toll of that day. He and his team worked tirelessly through the aftermath searching, assisting recovery efforts, and doing everything they could to help victims and bring answers and closure to families waiting for their loved ones.

Those experiences do not simply disappear with the passing of time. For Sheriff Rosa and the thousands of responders who worked at Ground Zero, the sights, sounds, faces, and memories of those days became a part of their lives forever.

His service at Ground Zero is also a reminder to all of us at the Starke County Sheriff’s Office of what it truly means to answer the call when people need you most.

In the years following September 11, some members of our department went on to serve in the United States military and defend our nation. Others grew up inspired to become first responders, choosing careers dedicated to protecting their communities during moments of crisis and tragedy.

Twenty-five years later, we still remember.

We remember the 2,977 lives taken on September 11. We remember the firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS personnel, military members, dispatchers, volunteers, and countless others who answered the call. We remember the families who lost loved ones and the survivors and responders whose lives were forever changed.

And within our own department, we are reminded that the history of September 11 is not distant. One of our own stood at Ground Zero, witnessed its devastation, and served alongside those who ran toward tragedy when our nation needed them most.

Today, our hearts are with every family affected by September 11 and with every responder, including Sheriff Rosa and his fellow U.S. Marshals, who carries memories from Ground Zero that most of us can only imagine.

May we always remember those we lost, honor those who served, and carry forward the courage, sacrifice, and unity shown in the days that followed.

September 11, 2001 Never Forget. 🇺🇸