Williams throws his hat into the ring for the Lake Sheriff race

Indiana State Police Maj. Jerry Williams, a Gary native, announced Saturday that he will run for Lake County sheriff in the 2026 election.

“The time has come for the next chapter of my career, and that is to take all of these accomplishments and all of these successes that I have gained over the years with the State Police and bring those accomplishments and experiences closer to at home here in Lake County,” Williams said in an interview with the Post-Tribune.

Williams began his career in law enforcement as a corrections officer for the Lake County Sheriff's Office before working for the Indiana State Police, where he worked for 31 years, did he declare.

Alongside ISP Superintendent Douglas Carter, Williams led an intensive 15-month effort starting in early 2022 to help the City of Gary revamp and implement industry-wide best practices to improve public safety and make the department a better place to work. He served as Gary's interim police chief for the first half of 2023.

Over the years with the Indiana State Police, Williams said he was a traffic cop in Lake County, then a member of a gang task force, where he led surveys in East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Munster and Highland.

Afterwards, Williams said he became a sergeant and worked in Indianapolis in the state police fiscal division. In this role, Williams said he worked on grant writing and drafting bid specifications.

Williams also worked in the Indiana State Police's Internal Investigations Division, before being appointed lieutenant of the Indiana State Police's Lowell District, which includes seven counties, a he declared.

As Lowell District lieutenant, Williams said he oversaw urban areas like Gary and East Chicago to rural areas like Pulaski and Starke counties.

Williams said he currently serves on the executive staff of the Indiana State Police as deputy chief of staff for logistics, meaning he oversees procurement, maintenance , state police engineering and transportation, as well as supervision of all police-owned properties and facilities.

“At the end of the day, I’m a crime fighter. I am proud to be it. That’s exactly what I’m passionate about,” Williams said. “Being able to bring that level of understanding to an office like the Lake County Sheriff’s Department will be paramount.” This will give me a boost, I believe, because it will shorten my learning curve.

Williams said he has spoken to some Lake County officials about running for sheriff, although he declined to share who he spoke to. But Williams said those he spoke to seemed excited about him running for sheriff.

The race for sheriff won't be decided until after the 2026 election, but Williams said he views his announcement as a six-month advance from the usual timeline of announcing in late 2024 or early 2025 for those elections.

“We’re excited about it. My team is 100% committed to doing our best for Lake County. Our goal now is to get here and start early sharing our message, our vision and our values ​​with the community,” Williams said.

Williams said his values ​​for the Lake County Sheriff's Office are public safety, integrity and transparency.

Williams is the second person to announce his candidacy for Lake County sheriff. In January, St. John Police Chief Steve Flores announced he would also run for sheriff.

“People ask me why I want to run, and it’s very simple. Public service and protecting our community has always been a part of my life, it has led us to be here today where a new dream has taken over for me, that of maintaining and creating a safer Lake County ” Flores said in his announcement. .

Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Jim Wieser said “more than two” people have told him they would like to run for Lake County sheriff. He declined to give the exact number and names of people who have expressed interest in the position.

“I understand the nature of the position and it’s an important position in county government,” Wieser said. He added that as more candidates announce for the sheriff's race, he hopes they will be aware of the Democratic Party's goal of re-electing Congressman Frank Mrvan in November.

Current Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. is not eligible for reelection because he is in the middle of his second term. Under state law, county sheriffs can only serve two four-year terms in a 12-year period.

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The Meredith Colias-Pete Archive and Post-Tribune contributed.