Commissioners approve two deputy positions as sheriff cites rising calls for service

Commissioners voted to create two deputy positions for the DuBois County Sheriff’s Office after a presentation showing calls for service rising over recent years and a request from Sheriff Kleinhelter.

Kleinhelter said the sheriff’s office continues to face high call volumes and that the busiest period is roughly noon to midnight; he said the two positions would primarily staff those shifts to provide proactive policing and relieve on-call pressure, while also assisting with investigations and specific enforcement priorities.

Commissioners asked about how calls are recorded; the sheriff explained dispatch and officer-report systems can list calls differently (for example, dispatch may log a disabled vehicle while officers report an accident). Commissioners said the data supported additional staffing but noted county-council funding would be required to pay for positions in the budget process.

The board moved to create the two positions and instructed staff to make them available for the sheriff to pursue Council funding.