The new Porter County sheriff has announced his administration and launched an emergency hiring process.
Sheriff Jeff Balon has appointed Lieutenant Jason Praschak as his patrol commander. He's a 17-year veteran of the department who has been serving as ERT Team commander.
Captain Matt Edwards has been named the taskforce coordinator for the Porter County Multi-Enforcement Group. He's been with the sheriff's office for 22 years and is currently the department's K9 coordinator.
Several other sheriff's office officials will remain in place, according to a press release.
Meanwhile, the Porter County Sheriff's Office has begun recruiting for certified police officers. The starting salary for probationary officers is $53,332. Applications for the emergency hiring process are due by 4:00 p.m. January 17.
![Patrol Commander Jason Praschak](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d140215/2147483647/strip/true/crop/853x1280+0+0/resize/880x1321!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F10%2F29%2F9ee0a7924426bb127e5fad53b3bd%2Fpatrol-commander-jason-praschak.jpg)
![Porter County Multi-Enforcement Group Taskforce Coordinator Matt Edwards](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b0997e4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/853x1280+0+0/resize/880x1321!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F18%2F99%2F63662053427ab056f70bded7cb7e%2Ftaskforce-coordinator-matt-edwards.jpg)