Agreement opens a SkillBridge pathway for troops to begin training as deputies and jail officers before their service ends
Sheriff Noah Robinson announced today that the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with INvets, Indiana’s veteran career connection, to recruit men and women leaving the armed forces into careers as deputy sheriffs and jail officers.
The agreement was reached Thursday during a meeting at the Sheriff’s Office between Sheriff Robinson and Chaze Patrick, Outreach & Veteran Engagement Manager for INvets.
INvets, a nonprofit founded by veterans for veterans, connects transitioning active duty service members, reservists and national guardsmen, veterans, and military spouses from across the country with more than 550 Indiana employers. The organization is also an approved provider under the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program, which allows service members in their final 180 days of active duty to train full time with a civilian employer while continuing to receive their military pay and benefits. Under the new partnership, qualifying service members will be able to spend those final months preparing for a career with the Sheriff’s Office, with the authorization of their unit commander, before they ever take off the uniform.
“The people coming out of our military already have the discipline, integrity and commitment to something bigger than themselves that we look for in every deputy and jail officer,” Sheriff Robinson said. “This partnership lets us reach them before their service ends and show them there is a place to keep serving right here in Vanderburgh County.”
INvets will promote the Sheriff’s Office’s open positions to service members at military installations nationwide and provide one-on-one assistance with résumés, interview preparation, relocation and access to the financial incentives Indiana offers veterans and their families. The Sheriff’s Office will work directly with INvets to identify candidates and guide them through the hiring process.
“Transitioning service members are looking for a mission, a team and a community that values what they bring,” Patrick said. “The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office offers all three, and we are proud to help connect them to it.”
Service members and veterans interested in a career with the Sheriff’s Office can learn more at https://vanderburghsheriff.org/employment/ or by creating a free profile at invets.org. Information about the SkillBridge program is available at skillbridge.mil.
-END-