Montpelier police department looking to hire with a focus on serving the community

Montpelier has a reputation for showing up. Chief of Police Chris Snyder says that when something needs done in town, volunteers “come out of the woodwork” without anyone forming a committee or putting together anything official. He wants the next officer he hires to fit that same mold.

The department is funded for four full-time officers and currently has three, but that number could drop as Snyder doesn't believe Montpelier to be busy enough to appeal to every officer.

“There’s just not enough activity over here,” Snyder said. It's something he finds himself grateful for, though.

Part-time officers help cover shifts, and Snyder said they hold the same Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as full-time staff. When gaps remain, Snyder fills them himself. After the pandemic, when illness thinned an already short roster, he stayed at the police department around the clock, going home only to shower and feed his dog. He slept in uniform with his boots by the door to keep response times to calls low.

“The people here paid for police protection through taxes, and I felt that they should have it,” Snyder said. He said call sheets from that stretch show response times of about a minute.

Even short-handed, Snyder said he won’t hire just anyone. The department gets a steady stream of email inquiries, and he estimated 85 to 90 percent of applicants never follow up. The ones who do still have to clear his bar.

“There’s a lot of people we could hire,” Snyder said. “But should we?”

Snyder has policed Montpelier for 32 years and grew up in Hartford City. He said the community gave him a place to work, raise a family, and make a living, and he owes it the best officers he can find.

New hires get the same message from day one. “The people don’t exist so we can have a job. We have a job because the people exist,” Snyder said. “Don’t ever forget who you work for.”

That shapes how his officers do the job. Snyder calls handcuffs “an absolute last resort, not a first go-to.” Before an arrest, he said, officers weigh what the community gains against what a family loses when a parent sits in jail instead of going to work. Accountability can still come through the courts, he said, while a person keeps their job and supports their family.

Between calls, Snyder expects his officers to be useful. That might mean handing a bottle of water to a person mowing their yard in the heat, or stopping to talk with a resident over coffee.

“If you find a need, fill it,” he said. Sometimes, that need might simply be a conversation with a resident.

Most days in Montpelier, the work is quiet. Snyder said the most common calls are vehicle lockouts, loose dogs, and neighbor complaints. The department sees the same kinds of calls as Fort Wayne or Indianapolis, he said, just far less often, because fewer people live here.

That quiet leaves room for the part of the job Snyder values most. He told the Ledger about a resident he’s gotten to know who likes to meet for breakfast and coffee.

Sitting down with people in the community, he said, is among the most enjoyable things he gets to do as chief. He’s looking for an officer who sees the job the same way.

Anyone interested in applying can contact the Montpelier Police Department at (765) 728-6500 or grab an application here.