Swearing in: IUN professor as Lake County police chief, IUN alumnus as sheriff

Dominguez, a former Lake County deputy prosecutor and Indiana State Police trooper, has a private law practice in Hammond. He said he chose IU Northwest as the location of his swearing in because he is a graduate of the university. Dominguez has said that when he was a student, it was Martin who inspired him to enter the field of law enforcement. Dominguez also said he offered Martin the position due to his professionalism and positive attitude.

“I promised I would select someone who would help me assure the men and women in the department that they would have a positive career in law enforcement,” Dominguez said.

Martin, a criminal justice instructor at the university for 26 years, began managing the 509-member Lake County Police Department on Jan. 1. Martin also teaches at the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Training Center in Gary. He has helped train the current police chiefs of Hobart, Lake Station, Merrillville and Schererville.

Martin, a native of Nashville, Tenn., served four years in the U.S. Army, moved to Hammond in 1965 and was a steelworker until he joined the Gary police force in 1970 as a patrolman. In 1972, he was promoted to special assistant to Charles Boone, Gary’s police chief. He had served as administrative assistant to Cobie Howard, a former police chief, and served in a consultancy to former Gary Mayor Thomas Barnes and current Gary Mayor Scott King.

Martin began teaching at IU Northwest in 1976. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in public affairs management from IU. He will continue to teach part time.

Dominguez has been chairman of the Indiana Workers’ Compensation Agency and serves as a board member of the local PBS affiliate. This is his first political victory.

After the ceremony, Dominguez stood in a receiving line for more than an hour and a half greeting his supporters.