CHALLENGES FACING THE JPD

At Tuesday morning’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, Assistant Chief Aaron Pehrson gave the board a presentation of 5 significant challenges that he says are facing the police department. 

Pehrson began by saying that the Jasper PD wants to find ways to better partner with the community that they serve. To that end, he identified five key areas that he finds to be of particular concern. 

1. Resource Limitations - Pehrson explained that the department is currently “6 guys down and operating short,” which affects their ability to respond to calls. When officers are on scene with larger calls, this can make it problematic to respond to less critical calls within the community like noise complaints. School resource officers have been helping to take care of some small calls while they are already in proximity, leaving other officers free to respond to more significant issues. Board members expressed concern that school officers could be pulled from their primary focus of protecting students, but assurances were made that this is only being done when an officer is already in the area. Pehrson said that the projected number of calls for service this year is around 20,400. The department is in its third hiring process of the year, after not finding appropriate candidates in the last round.  

2. Drug abuse and addiction – While the JPD is working hard to battle the effects that these have on the community, Pehrson said that resources are limited. He expressed his desire to get an officer back into the drug detective role once they are fully staffed, as it’s hard to maintain this area without specialized resources. Out of the 959 arrests made in 2023 and 2024, Pehrson said that 19% were drug related. The JPD is partnering with outside agencies, working with recovery houses, and educating the public, but drug-related crimes continue to increase with each year. 

3. Mental Health – Pehrson said that this a struggle because of the lack of resources. The JPD works with Life Springs, which has a mobile crisis team that has been used a couple of times. He explained that this is particularly useful when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis but does not qualify for hospitalization. The department also utilizes Memorial for those more significant issues requiring medical intervention and has two officers that are trained with Memorial. The board expressed that in addition to public needs, it should be considered whether the implementation of mental health resources should be mandatory for officers who have been involved with traumatic events. 

4. Community Trust – Pehrson emphasized that the department’s main concern is trying to serve the community the best way possible. In a small town, he said that officers know a lot of people in the community, which can create both trust and tension. He explained that officers strive to treat everyone the same and operate with a level of professionalism, regardless of personal history. He also asked residents to have a relationship with the JPD and communicate, saying that residents should call if there is an issue so the department can respond to it. 

5. Domestic Violence, particularly involving children - The JPD is part of Indiana Crimes Against Children, serving multiple communities in the area. Tips for these kinds of crimes come in daily, and require significant resources that are already stretched thin. For one of these, the department has to get search warrants, execute a search, take someone into custody, and perform follow-up interviews. Pehrson said this is a huge workload and takes a lot of time, but that they are trying to get resources to people, educating them on domestic violence indicators and ways to de-escalate. The JPD works with CPS, evaluating homes and living conditions, and connecting with crisis resources and child advocacy centers. 

Pehrson stressed, “we’re nothing without our community, and we’re here to serve.” He asked that members of the public call if they have concerns, saying that they can’t respond if they don’t know about the problem. The JPD Anonymous Tip Line is (812) 481-COPS. For emergencies, call 911. 

 - By Drew Hasselbring