When it comes to a life of servitude, you will be hard pressed to find someone in Kosciusko County who exemplifies that more than Jim Smith. A law enforcement officer, army veteran and family man, Jim has served not only the county he calls home but the country he swore to protect and the family he has been blessed with. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Jim better and realized right away that I wanted to feature him on the blog. I’ve always said that it’s the people of Kosciusko County that make it great and Jim is a shining example of that. I’m honored to be able to present my interview with him.
Tell us about yourself – background, family, work history, etc.
“I was born and raised in Kosciusko County, Indiana and graduated from Warsaw High School in 2000. I was active in sports as a youngster and recall playing in the KCSL soccer league, little league in Leesburg and also in the Boggs little league Park. I have been married to my wife, Trish, since 2008 and we have two children, Zachary (19) and Isabelle (17). We met while working at Bertsch Vending where I was employed before starting my full-time Police career in 2007 at Syracuse Police Department. I was a reserve Police Officer from 2005-2007 at Syracuse PD, before taking the full-time position. I started working at the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department in 2011 and am currently employed there. I am on the Department’s search and recover scuba-dive team, I am a certified hostage negotiator, and I am an Indiana law enforcement instructor in both E.V.O (emergency vehicle operations) and S.T.O.P.S (Strategies and Tactics of Patrol). I served 12 years in the Army-Reserves with one tour in Iraq and Kuwait in 2003. I am proud to say I served this great Country, and can honestly say I am a much better person because of it. The self-confidence, mental discipline and the leadership skills I learned while serving, are skills and tools I will continue to apply to my everyday life.”
As a longtime resident of Kosciusko County, what would you say are some of the strengths of the people who live here?
“Kosciusko County is a special place as it is a big county, geographically but the population, although it is certainly growing, is small enough that you don’t feel that you “get lost in the numbers”, meaning that although one may not know every person, there is a great chance that if you talk with someone long enough, a connection will be made between the two people. It could be a person in common that both know or perhaps an interest that both have, and once these connections are made, more people will be introduced and networking will occur. I feel that one of the strengths in a life-long Kosciusko County resident is the neighborly feel, almost like we are already friends, even though we hadn’t even met yet.”
What are the three things that are most important to you today and how do they impact the decisions you make on a daily basis?
“The 3 most important things to me are God; Family and Friends. I full-heartedly believe that everyone needs to have something or someone that they are passionate about, as it gives you purpose, if you will. For me the three things have an impact on my everyday life as I feel that I am accountable to each of them, as they all require, expect and deserve the best version of me each and every day.”
How has your past influenced the person you are today?
“Well, we all have a past and we can all probably say there are things in the past that we aren’t the proudest of, but I believe if we learn from our past, then it wasn’t all for nothing. I am certainly a better man, husband, father and a better Police Officer because of my past, as I have lived and learned. I will continue to learn, and my future-self will be better because of its past as well.”
Fun facts about you?
“Two fun facts about me are: I had the honor of being part of the military honor guard before a Chicago Bears VS. Detroit Lions football game, meaning, I was on the field just before the game started, with all the players and the media.
I grew up a mile and a half away from my wife, and we never met until we were adults.”
