Officers with MCSPD
Officers with the Middlebury Community Schools Police Department have over 75 years combined law enforcement experience. We are trained in the TRIAD model of law enforcement, counselor, and teacher through the National Association of School Resource Officers and utilize community oriented policing techniques to connect with staff, students, and parents. Each officer is a certified law enforcement instructor through the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board. Our goal every day is to provide the safest environment possible in and around each of our campuses while building meaningful relationships with students and staff. Officers also teach numerous types of classes, provide guidance and support for mental health issues, encourage students to pursue a career path after their high school experience, give practical ways and reasons to avoid destructive behaviors, and are highly trained to respond to the unique variety of issues that arise in and around our school campuses.
Jeremy Shotts
Jeremy Shotts started in law enforcement in October 1996 as a reserve officer in a small southwest Indiana town. This small town is where he met his best friend and gorgeous wife and were married in June 1995. Their two sons were raised in the Middlebury community and attended Middlebury Schools. In April 1997 Jeremy was hired by the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office and graduated the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in December of the same year. In 1999 he became a general instructor through the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board then a firearms instructor in 2000. Jeremy was also a K9 handler from 2000 until 2008. During that time he was invited into numerous schools in Elkhart County for drug searches and demonstrations sparking an interest in working with the education system. In 2009, Jeremy was assigned as the school resource officer for Middlebury Schools and graduated from Indiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice / Criminology in 2012. During his tenure as a resource officer with the Sheriff's Office, he had the privilege to spend some time working in several Elkhart County school districts. In February 2016, Middlebury Schools created their own police department and hired Jeremy as their police officer. Jeremy currently serves the Middlebury Schools community as the Chief of the Middlebury Community Schools Police Department.
Gary Smith
"I am married to an amazing woman (no she did not tell me to put this in here), and I have three awesome sons". Gary Smith served in the United States Marine Corps for 8 years and received an Honorable discharge. He started his law enforcement career with Middlebury Police Department in 1989 upon graduating the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, took the position of Shipshewana Town Marshal in 1999, worked for IUSB Campus Police from 2002 to 2005, then returned to Middlebury Police Department until 2019 where he retired as a Sergeant. During his time with Middlebury Police, Gary worked in K9, became a RAD instructor, taser instructor, and a physical tactics and close quarter combat instructor. Gary worked security at Lake City Bank for several years and has been a soccer coach for Middlebury Schools since 2008. Gary worked part-time as a resource officer for Middlebury Schools during the 2018 - 2019 school year and was hired full-time in 2019 as a Sergeant with the Middlebury Community Schools Police Department.
Ray Caples
Ray Caples is a multi-faceted addition to the Middlebury Community Schools Police Department team, with nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience. He is married to his high school sweetheart, whom he started dating as a sophomore. After high school, knowing he wanted to work in law enforcement, he pursued a college education. Ray obtained two different associates degrees, one in Applied Science for Law Enforcement and the other in Criminal Justice. Upon graduating college, Ray entered the United States Army, where he served 8 years as a Military Police Officer. Ray started his Indiana law enforcement career in 1999 when he was hired by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office. As a detective with the Sheriff’s Office, he became the lead investigator for juvenile crimes and began working closely with area schools, youth services and mental health services involved with young people. Ray is a trained police instructor, specializing in emergency vehicle operations, and motor vehicle crash reconstruction. He retired from the Sheriff’s Office in 2019, taking the position as the Director of Juvenile Court Services, a division of Elkhart County’s Juvenile Court. He is very involved in activities involving young people and volunteered as a youth ministry helper at River of Life Church from 2000 to 2008. Ray worked as a volunteer youth pastor for Living Stones Christian Fellowship from 2008-2014 where he is now the senior pastor. He has been a multi-year volunteer for the Middlebury Little League program as a board member, coach and umpire. On two occasions he was selected to umpire at the Little League World Series. In 2017, Ray was hired by Northridge High School Athletics and is still currently the Varsity Softball Head Coach. His role with Middlebury Community Schools Police Department is that of reserve, mentor and detective.
Officer's Certifications and Specialties
- National Association of School Resource Officer - Basic and Advanced​
- School Safety Specialists through the Department of Education​
- Elkhart County Crisis Intervention Team​
- Certified Instructors through Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board
- Certified Instructors in Physical Tactics, Emergency Vehicle Operations, and Firearms​
- Rape Aggression Defense Instructor​
- Crash Investigation Reconstruction​
- Forensic Interviewing, National Child-First-Indiana Protection​
- Nonviolent Crisis Intervention​
- Cyber crimes Investigations​
- Juvenile Crimes Investigations​
- Family Abuse / Violence Trainer​
- Bike Patrol Instructor​
- Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative