Meet the candidates running for Marion County Sheriff

Two candidates are running for the role of Marion County Sheriff: incumbent Democrat Kerry Forestal and Republican candidate Randy Swindle. 

Forestal won the Marion County Sheriff seat in 2018. Before that, he worked for the sheriff’s office for almost 40 years.

Swindle's campaign website says he worked for the Marion County Sheriff’s office for two decades, before retiring in 2018, and now works for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. For this survey, he stated his occupations are business owner and police officer. 

WFYI sent each candidate the same four questions, to help voters prepare for early voting and Election Day, Nov. 8. Their answers are presented in alphabetical order.

Editor’s note: Candidate responses were edited for AP Style and grammar, and any numbers used were checked for accuracy. When a statement required more clarification or could not be independently verified, WFYI reached out to candidates before publication. Those instances, and those candidate responses, are noted throughout in editors’ notes.

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Kerry Joseph Forestal

What do you see as the most pressing issue in public safety, and what would you plan to do about it?

The most pressing issue facing our community is violent crime that is committed again and again by repeat violent offenders. Convicted criminals in the state of Indiana are given "good time" credit for participating in education and other programming. They continue to receive these credits even though they’re convicted of second, third, or even more offenses unrelated to the original conviction.

I’m recommending that the Indiana General Assembly change the law to allow the accumulation of "good time" to occur only in the first set of convictions for violent crimes by an individual. For additional convictions, individuals should serve the true time they have been sentenced to and not be rewarded for participation in programs intended for those who truly want to be rehabilitated.

Are staffing issues at the county jail a concern? If so, what can be done to resolve them?

Yes, staffing issues continue to be a problem at the Adult Detention Center, as they are for law enforcement, public safety, and corrections agencies across the country. We must commit to paying competitive salaries in Marion County to attract and retain dedicated individuals who are willing to serve their community working in a challenging environment.

If we can't raise our salaries, the sheriff's office will continue to be a training ground for higher-paying public safety jobs within Indianapolis and in surrounding counties. While we must be careful with taxpayer dollars, we must also spend those dollars wisely and stop the high rate of employee turnover due to non-competitive pay.

How will you maintain safety for those incarcerated in the Marion County jail?

With leadership from the Office of the Mayor and the City-County Council, Marion County has a brand-new, modern, efficient Adult Detention Center and Courthouse. The ADC and the courthouse are considerably safer than the facilities at the former Marion County Jail and the City-County Building.

Now that the infrastructure is here, we must invest in personnel. The Community Justice Campus was designed to have a much higher number of employees than we have at the present moment, and while COVID and nation-wide staffing shortages have made it a challenge to hire the necessary personnel, it has been and will remain a top priority.

What initiatives or goals do you have for the department?

From the moment I took office, I initiated a very aggressive hiring campaign, which has continued even while faced with the challenges of COVID. Though we have made some significant strides to increase pay, raising employee salaries to a level that is very well deserved and competitive, it remains high on my list of goals. Increased staffing levels will also help to protect the inmates housed in our facilities, as well as the staff who work in Adult Detention Center and the Community Justice Campaign.

I'll also remain dedicated to addressing the problem of sex offenders, who were initally convicted in other counties, taking up residency in Marion County. Over half of the 1,800 convicted sex offenders in Marion County came from another county or another state.** As they attempt to hide in the larger city, it costs Marion County taxpayers more to monitor these individuals for the safety of the surrounding communities. I will continue to ensure that "Hoosier hospitality" does not extend to attracting a disproportionate number of convicted sex offenders to Indianapolis and Marion County.

**Editors' note: WFYI asked for clarification and received this response: “Hello and thank you for the opportunity to clarify. Based on your inquiry, the Sheriff requested a current report from the MCSO Sex Offender Registry (SOR) Unit. While the percentage does fluctuate considerably, Lieutenant Mike Stevenson of the SOR Unit informed the Sheriff that the percentage of sex offenders living in Marion County with out-of-county or out-of-state convictions currently stands at 44%.”

 

Randall Y. Swindle

What do you see as the most pressing issue in public safety and what would you plan to do about it?

From the Sheriff Office standpoint, it is to find and track down the 26,000** plus active warrants that are outstanding. Getting the sex offenders off the streets and out of your neighborhoods. Make sure the inmates are safe and secure in the Marion County jail.

**Editors’ note: To verify, WFYI asked Swindle for his sources; he did not respond. Spokespeople at the sheriff’s office and prosecutor’s office estimated 23,000–26,000 but could not get a specific number by publication. They also said that number includes all warrants, for decades, and can be for offenses “as minor as” a “traffic violation.”

Are staffing issues at the jail a concern? If so, what can be done to resolve them?

Staffing is an Issue; I would work to raise the pay across the board with better working conditions to include mental health help. I would reallocate personnel, as the Sheriff’s office is too top heavy with supervisors.

How will you maintain safety for those incarnated in the Marion County jail?

I would maintain a strict clock around to include every half hour instead of an hour. I would hold the command staff and all supervisors to include deputies accountable for failure to adhere to policies.

What goals do you have for the department?

1. To have a faster intake process for the incarcerated because four hours** is too long for the local police departments to be out of service.
2. Build the warrant team up so as to reduce the more than 26,000** active warrants.
3. Bring the jail transportation program back for all Police agencies to include Eskenazi holding.
4. Have medical staff on every floor to better serve the medical needs of the incarcerated.
5. Getting sex offenders out of your neighborhoods and parks.

**Editors’ note: To verify, WFYI asked Swindle for his sources; he did not respond. The sheriff’s office said while intake can be four hours, it also varies widely, day to day. Spokespeople at the sheriff’s office and prosecutor’s office estimated 23,000–26,000 but could not get a specific number by publication. They also said that number includes all warrants, for decades, and can be for offenses “as minor as” a “traffic violation.”

How to vote in Marion County:

Early voting began Oct. 12, at the Indianapolis City-County Building, and additional early voting sites open Oct. 29. On Nov. 8, Marion County residents can vote at any of the county’s vote centers.