SBPD Chief Scott Ruszkowski announces candidacy for St. Joseph County Sheriff

SOUTH BEND, Ind.—South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski officially announced Friday that he is running for St. Joseph County sheriff, seeking to replace Sheriff Bill Redman, who cannot run again due to term limits.

Surrounded by supporters, friends, and family, that he said were behind the push to get him to run, Ruszkowski officially announced his next move from the County- City Building.

“But with that I am here to make my official announcement for sheriff of St. Joseph County,” Ruszkowski said.

After 37 years on the job, including 11 years as police chief, and not a single sick day Ruszkowski is entering the race as a self-described blue dog moderate Democrat, similar to former Senate Joe Donnelly who was in attendance alongside his wife.

Ruszkowski, a third generation South Bend police officer, said he has maxed out both his pension and time off,

but he’s not ready to step away from law enforcement yet.

“When I go the department is in good hands, and that was one of my main goals when I stepped into the position as police chief that the mayor continued to leave me in after Mayor Pete,” he said.

“It’s time to pass the torch in South Bend, but I have a lot of tools left in the tool belt, and I need to utilize them. I can’t just walk away from police work, not gonna happen,” he added.

When asked what he is most proud of during his time as a city leader, Ruszkowski couldn’t narrow it down.

“Every day there’s something phenomenal that occurs in South Bend, St. Joseph County, Mishawaka, all the agencies, nobody ever hears about those,” he said.

If elected, Ruszkowski would oversee a larger area serving more people with fewer personnel and a tighter budget. He said he would bring the same level of integrity, knowledge and experience to the county police, with a continued focus on transparency.

“If they’re paying for this, they need to see what’s going on,” Ruszkowski said.

When asked about the announcement, Sheriff Bill Redman declined to comment, but Ruszkowski said the two have spoken on a routine basis for years.

On the Republican side, former Marine, Rod Laureys is running for the GOP nomination in May.