Chief Deputy Jim Sosinski is seeking the Democratic nomination for the office of LaPorte County sheriff.
The primary election is May 6, 2014, and the general election is Nov. 4, 2014. Current Sheriff Mike Mollenhauer will complete his second term at the end of 2014; state law limits sheriffs to two consecutive terms.
Sosinski said in a press release that since the filing of his exploratory committee paperwork in June, he has received overwhelming support and is very excited, but most of all humbled by the support and faith that people have expressed in him.
Sosinski grew up on the west side of Michigan City. He has been a lifelong resident of the Michigan City area, currently living in Coolspring Township. He graduated from Michigan City Rogers High School in 1974. He and his wife Lois have been married for 36 years. They have two children, Ryan, 22, and Laura, 17. He is a graduate of Leadership LaPorte County and a member of Queen of All Saints Catholic Church, Michigan City Lions Club and St. Joe Club.
Sosinski has been with the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office for 32 years. He started his career as a jail officer under the late Sheriff Jan Rose. He was then promoted to a patrol officer and attended the 82nd session of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, where he graduated with honors and finished with a ranking of 3rd in his class. He was promoted to sergeant under former Sheriff Jim Arnold, and headed the Warrants Division. He made quality improvements in policies and procedures which increased accountability of the tracking of warrants, which led to reduced liability for the department. Sosinski later earned the rank of captain and is currently Sheriff Mollenhauer’s chief deputy.
Mollenhauer said, “When I was elected sheriff in 2006, I was tasked with the decision to choose a person who I could trust to be second in command of the entire LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department. The decision for me was easy and clear, that the officer I would choose was the person I knew to have high moral character, integrity, honest, fair and a true professional law enforcement officer. It was then, and remains today, to be Chief Deputy Jim Sosinski. Jim and I worked together for many years under my shift command. This is the man I could always rely on getting the job done and a true man of his word. Jim Sosinski is the only person with the leadership ability and years of experience to continue to lead this department in the right direction. For these reasons, without any hesitation, I endorse Chief Deputy Jim Sosinski to be the next sheriff for LaPorte County.”
Sosinski said, “I will always place God first and pray for wisdom to fulfill my duties. I stand ready to enforce the laws of the State of Indiana and to protect and serve the citizens of LaPorte County. As your sheriff, I pledge to be a person who is approachable by all and will listen to your concerns. I have worked under five sheriffs and have learned something from each. I will never accept failure of myself or of my office. I will make no excuses and I will never quit. I will not allow politics from keeping me from doing the right thing for the right reasons.
“I will continue to build on the cooperation and great relationships we currently enjoy with all law enforcement agencies within and out of our county,” Sosinski continued. “We all share the same goals and can achieve so much more when we work as one in the spirit of cooperation, which benefits all of our citizens. Crime has no boundaries.
“The drug problem continues to be an issue in LaPorte County. I vow to continue to seek out those who peddle this poison that ruins so many lives. I also believe we can utilize some of our social service agencies better to assist with the drug problem and many other issues. With law enforcement and our social service agencies working together, we can combat the problems at the root causes in an effort to prevent crime. An example of one of those agencies is Dunebrook, which provides many intervention and prevention programs in child abuse, which helps parents in their parenting skills. I believe that many of our problems come from the complete breakdown of our family units. Peace in the home equates to peace in the community.
“I hope to earn your trust by continually delivering on my belief in respect, fairness and honesty to all those I serve and work with. I ask for your support for a better LaPorte County.”
