A Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office detective who supported Kyle Dukes in the Republican May primary has announced he is seeking the sheriff’s position as an Independent in November.
James Marshall will face Republican candidate and KCSO deputy Jim Smith in the general election. Smith defeated Dukes in the primary for the Republican nomination.
In his announcement, Marshall wrote, “I was raised right here in Kosciusko County, and I’ve been in the business of defending liberty and freedom my entire life. From my start at the Milford Police Department in 2002, to defending our nation in Operation Iraqi Freedom and being awarded the Army’s Combat Infantry Badge, to serving 15-plus years in the Kosciusko Sheriff’s Department, my life’s passion has been the security and safety of others.
“As a member of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department, I have served as the senior firearms instructor and conducted active shooter trainings. I served as a team leader for the Kosciusko County SWAT Team before being quickly promoted to assistant commander. I am also a member of the hiring board that conducts interviews with all candidates seeking employment as sheriff deputies,” he wrote.
“Those are a few things I have done. But it is much more important what I will do to put my vast experience and leadership skills to work for this community. I plan on focusing on three key areas to keep this community safe and secure.”
Marshall continues, “The first is a focus on securing our schools. School violence has been on a sharp rise nationwide and needs to be actively combated. I have been an active shooter instructor since 2016 and plan to apply that knowledge to take proactive steps to keep our kids safe now.
“The second is child sex abuse and cybersex crimes. Our children deserve to be protected, not just at school but everywhere in our community. I’ve seen some jaw-dropping cases in my experience as detective sergeant and certified forensic interviewer with Child First of Indiana. I plan to bolster our Investigations Division with an additional detective and to collaborate with the Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. We must protect our children from sexual and cyber predators.
“Lastly, I plan to use my two decades of leadership experience to strengthen our officer training and take steps to secure our jail’s safety with real, actionable solutions.
“If I learned one thing serving this nation in combat, it is that a good leader never leaves his soldiers behind. Our county doesn’t need a sheriff who claims he is going to roll up his sleeves and single-handedly come fix the jail. We need a leader who will build, strengthen, train and inspire the team around him.
“That is exactly why I am proud to announce my candidacy for sheriff. With your support, I promise to do exactly what I have done my entire life; lead with honor and serve this community and be the leader we need for the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.”
If anyone wants to contact Marshall, visit his social media pages.
Website: electjamesmarshallforsheriff.com/
Email: JamesMarshallForSheriff@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamesmarshallforsheriff
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamesmarshallforsheriff/
Twitter: twitter.com/jamesmarshallkc
