The City of Greenwood this week named its next top law enforcement officer, his name recognizable throughout the county.
James Ison, now a deputy chief who’s been with the Greenwood Police Department for two decades, was tapped to be the city’s next police chief, replacing John Laut, who will retire Aug. 28, after more than three decades.
Ison started his career with the Greenwood Police Department in high school, he said. He participated in the department’s internship program which allowed high school students to go on bike patrols to learn about policing in the city, Ison recalled.
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“I worked my way up from an intern in high school to the chief. It’s something that is very special and dear to me,” said Ison, who added that he’s “honored and proud.”
“It’s an awesome responsibility being in charge of the safety of a city of nearly 60,000 people, and to be trusted with that responsibility by the mayor and other members of this agency is very humbling,” Ison said.
Ison studied criminal justice at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, and served on the police department there. He was hired in 2001 as a patrol officer for the Greenwood Police Department. Over the years, he rose through the ranks. He was promoted to deputy chief in 2015.
Becoming chief has always been his goal, and now is a great time to take the reins, Ison said. Most Greenwood police officers are young, with about 35 new officers hired in the last five years, leaving plenty of room for growth, he said.
Police chief is the top leadership position on the force of 79 patrol officers, assistant chiefs, sergeants and lieutenants, and earns about $90,000 a year, according to a state database of public employee salaries. The chief manages a nearly $7 million budget.
Ison has two main goals once he is sworn in at the end of the month. First is a comprehensive department policy review, and the second is to build upon data-driven policing.
Greenwood Police recently hired a new crime analyst, who will help interpret data and records to help officers paint a better picture when it comes to solving crimes in the city, Ison said. For example, if there is a string of burglaries on the east side of the city, a crime analyst can pull data and records to create a picture of when, where and how the crimes are occurring.
“The software we have allows her to extract that data and create predictive policing models, which basically gives us reports and tells us, you know, this is when it’s most likely to occur, and allows us to connect suspects in the past who use the same M.O.,” Ison said.
Ison also serves on the seven-member Johnson County Council, representing the northern half of White River Township. The council has also helped prepare him for the position of chief, having learned a lot about budgeting and county government in the last five years he’s been a member, he said.
He will finish out the remainder of his term — through 2022 — but will not run for re-election, Ison said.
“The chief is a 24/7 job,” he said.
For the chief position, he endured a hour-and-a-half long, detailed interview with Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers and Deputy Mayor Terry McLaughlin, Ison said. The mayor’s office interviewed seven candidates for the job and chose Ison because of his lengthy background with the department, his leadership style and the goals he presented, Myers said.
“He is respected by the department, by the officers already … he has a very strong leadership style,” he said.
Before Laut exits the role of police chief next week, he will work alongside Ison, teaching him the ropes of the job. Ison will be sworn in Aug. 28.
“Chief Laut and I are very close. He’s been a mentor to me for years,” Ison said. “We worked night shift together, and we rose through the ranks together. He’s going to be greatly missed, I’ll tell you that.”
One piece of advice Laut offered him as he steps into the job is to take his time and think problems through, Ison said. Laut prioritized teamwork and getting input from the assistant and deputy chiefs before making major decisions, and that’s something Ison plans to continue, he said.
“I really believe in a democratic leadership style. I like to get a lot of input before I make decisions,” Ison said. “That’s what he (Laut) has done with me over the years. So by working with him under the same philosophy, he’s prepared me to step up and fill his shoes.”
