Brothers in law enforcement
Duo shares similar philosophy… ‘We want people to be safe in their homes’
By Debbie Lowe

They have arrived! Sheriffs-elect Maj. Tracy Brown of the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Department and Sgt. Tony Burns of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department are in good moods as they plan to take the reigns in their respective counties. Both men hail from Carroll County and show pride in their roots and each other. Comet photo by Debbie Lowe

It used to be there were only two locations in Carroll County from where police calls were dispatched - the sheriff’s department and the Delphi Police Department. And there was a direct telephone line between the two centers.

In 1982, from three in the afternoon until 11 p.m., the same two individuals sat at each end of that line - Tony Burns and Tracy Brown.

Today there are only 3,088 sheriffs in uniform across the United States. The odds of these two young men from the same rural county, choosing law enforcement as a profession, and then ascending to the top law enforcement positions in neighboring counties at the same time is pretty unlikely.

But that is exactly what happened. The sheriffs-elect of Carroll and Tippecanoe counties grew up at the same time in Carroll County, graduated from Delphi Community High School, albeit one year apart, and will be the top law enforcement officers in their respective counties as of Jan. 1.

Both new sheriffs sat down on Dec. 22 with the Comet to talk about the similarities in their respective rises to these positions in their respective counties.

Burns and Brown have known each other most of their lives. Each credits many of the same influences for playing a part in their successful careers.

Two people who figured prominently in each man’s professional

development are former Delphi Police Chief Dick Roe and Delphi Mayor Lee Hoard, when he served as the sheriff of Carroll County.

“I owe my law enforcement career to those two,” Brown said as Burns nodded in agreement.

“Lee (Hoard) let me ride with him (on patrol) when I was in high school,” Burns said. “That

inspired me to work to become a law enforcement officer. And when I interviewed to be an officer at Delphi, Dick said he would work around my Ivy Tech schedule.”

“Dick Roe is my law enforcement father,” Brown said.

Burns and Brown worked together as officers in Delphi in 1985. Brown left the department in March of that year and Burns left in April.

Brown said he considered working in Carroll County, “but it just happened for me in Tippecanoe County.”

The officers share similar philosophies of how to work with people, staff and their communities.

“Lee and Dick always taught us to treat people like you would want to be treated,” they echoed each other. “You don’t get to be where you are without a lot of other peoples’ support.”

Brown and Burns remembered some who influenced them in their formative years, like Delphi government teacher Norm Miller, English teacher Laura Baker, and typing teacher Edna Grimm.

Both men said they wanted to be sheriff long before they decided to run for the office, but neither wanted to run against an incumbent.

“I wanted to run when Smokey Anderson ran,” Brown said. “But I decided to wait until Smokey was ready to move on, and that decision served me well. I learned a lot from him and feel like I am now in the best position to lead.”

Each man expressed pride in the other’s accomplishment.

“Years ago, I could see Tracy becoming sheriff,” Burns said. “I am proud of him.”

“I’m tickled to death Tony is where he is professionally,” Brown said.

And their interaction will not stop when each takes office Jan. 1.

Although the jail that Brown will manage has 553 beds, a few more than the 34 at the Carroll County facility, both understand they will encounter the same problems coping with prisoners and staff.

The new sheriffs plan to participate in regional meetings with sheriffs of neighboring counties. However these two already have a line of communication established.

“Anything you need, let me know,” Brown told Burns during the interview. “Because I’ll be needing something from you down the road.”

For example, Tippecanoe County does not have a reserve deputy program, but Carroll County does. Brown said he wants to establish one in his county and will be seeking advice from Burns. Both law enforcement leaders said communication is the best tool in working with other county leaders, such as commissioners and council members.

Brown said he is very comfortable in front of both of those groups and plans to make a concerted effort to inform them about the happenings in his department. He, or a designee, will attend all commissioners’ and council meetings in Tippecanoe County.

“They have to understand your shortcomings, your needs and your accomplishments to make informed decisions,” he said.

Burns put forth a similar philosophy. He said he will be reasonably comfortable interacting with other county leaders because he knows most of them.

“It’s about information and education,” he said. “I need to know what they expect out of me and they have to know everything that’s going on.”

Burns and Brown talked about what it meant to them to have reached this position in their careers.

“It is very humbling to be chosen by the community to lead,” Brown said. “I am very excited to put my law enforcement beliefs to practice. This is an enormous responsibility. The buck has always landed on someone else’s desk before now.”

Burns echoed Brown’s sentiment about the amount of responsibility dictated by his new job. He said he is ready for the challenge, but awed by it as well.

“I’m humbled that I have so much community support,” Burns concluded. “It drives me to

make sure that I do the office proud.” Land