Bartholomew County Sheriff Department

Sheriff	Chris Lane
Address	543 2nd St. Columbus IN 47201
Phone	(812) 376-0998
Website	https://bartholomew.in.gov/sheriff.html
Number of Officers	45
Population Served	85000
Seasonal Pop. Served	85000
Specializations	Crisis Negotiations, DARE Program, Defense Tactics and Weapons Training, Drone, Drug Task Force, K-9 Unit, School Resource Officer, SCUBA/Dive Rescue, SWAT/Tactical, Water Patrol, Water Rescue

Current Openings

Open Jobs	Salary	Deadline
Bartholomew County Sheriff - Merit Deputy – Interest Capture		June 19, 2026
Bartholomew County Sheriff - Corrections Officer - Interest Capture		June 19, 2026

About Our Agency

We currently serve a population of 81,162 citizens and an area of 409 square miles. We took 30,980 calls for service in 2021.

We have 41 merit deputies who work in patrol, investigations and administration. We have a Reserve Unit that assists with various law enforcement needs.

MISSION

To provide the highest level of protection for residents and businesses,

To provide the highest level of professional service for citizens and our community,

To provide our employees with support, development, and resources needed to promote excellence in protection and service, and

To create a new legacy with residents through real community outreach.

VISION

To provide the highest standards of excellence in public safety through outstanding leadership, sound community partnerships, and effective resource management.

To be a leader in public safety creating a world class law enforcement agency where principles of integrity and professionalism are the cornerstones for building trust.

To be a county that is a safe and enjoyable place to live, work, and visit.

CORE VALUES

Integrity — We pledge to maintain a strong sense of honesty, morality, and ethical character.

Professionalism — We are skilled in the performance of our duties and governed by a Code of Ethics that demands integrity and allegiance to our Oaths of Office and the laws that govern our county, our state, and our nation.

Trust — We value the trust we earn through honesty and excellence in service. We pledge to treat those we serve with courtesy, respect, dignity, and compassion without bias to race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, culture, or socio-economic status.

SERVICE

We are dedicated to serving, protecting and partnering with residents to make Bartholomew County a better and safer place, proactively targeting the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs, eliminating the duplication of services and unnecessary costs and providing fiscally conservative leadership through new, innovative strategies.

PRIORITY

Our number one priority is drug eradication, particularly targeting people who provide illegal narcotics to our residents.

In a unique collaboration, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office established the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET).

JNET was taken to the Next Level when a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy was assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Task Force. JNET has been involved in cases spanning from Central Indiana to the west coast of the United States and Mexico.

SPECIAL UNITS

Accident Reconstructionist
Field Training Officer
Honor Guard
K-9 Officers
Joint Hostage Negotiators Team
Joint SWAT Team
Joint Intelligence Led Policing Unit
Joint Narcotics Unit
Water Rescue
Crime Scene Technician

TRAINING

Law enforcement is ever changing, as such, it is important that law enforcement agencies recognize the importance of continuing education and training.

BCSO Deputies have the interpersonal skills necessary to effectively communicate to investigate crimes, de-escalate situations and to build trust.

We are firm believers in the concept of “professionalism through training”. Since 2015, training has been a Hallmark at BCSO.

Training Mission

To develop employee professional knowledge, skills and abilities through state-of-the-art training programs.

To provide employees with the support, development and resources needed to promote excellence in service.

INNOVATION

We continually seek ways to improve our quality/level of service. We value innovation by our employees and our community partnerships. We support creativity and proactively seek opportunities to find improved, more effective and more efficient ways to carry out our mission and our commitment to the residents and businesses we serve.