Caleb Snyder, along with Deputy Dylan Wilkie, keep an eye on the activities of the inmates inside the Kosciusko County Jail. Photo by Scott Morales.

By SCOTT MORALES
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Cpl. Caleb Snyder was attending IUPUI seven years ago in nursing, when he saw the campus police responding to a call and thought what they were doing was “kind of cool.”

He looked around at what was available in the field of law enforcement and applied at the Kosciusko County Work Release office in 2014. He started as a guard and obtained as much knowledge as he could and in 2016, moved to the county jail. Five years later, he has grown into the position and is satisfied by the work he has done. He has become a use-of-force and defensive tactics instructor, as well as on the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, something he feels passionate about.

“The majority of our roster (of jail deputies) are young. If something I train them to do helps them get home safely then that’s what’s important,” he said.

Snyder said the best part of his job is seeing the people who stop coming back here and have turned their lives around. They want to start doing good and begin asking about who they can talk to and what programs are available to help stop them from returning. “When a repeat offender says, ‘You know what? I’m done. I want to make a difference.’ That’s cool to be a part of, helping them reach that decision.” Snyder credits programs like JCAP, offering tremendous hope.

The hardest is “when you see the ones that you want to succeed don’t because either they can’t or they won’t.” For those people he realizes there are a lot of outside factors they have to overcome and can’t. “It’s not everyone. There are just some that, no matter how much help you give them, they just give up. And when they give up, you look at yourself and wonder, ‘should I give up too?’”

It’s moments like that where Snyder looks back at that one offender who is pumped up and says, “I’m done with this life! What can I do to change?”

“That’s the one that gives me hope.”

Snyder’s family stands behind his career choice. “My wife loves it. She is very proud to be a LEO (law enforcement officer) wife.” His son, even though he is 2, thinks its cool. Snyder said when he walks in the door, his son touches his belt and plays with his flashlight.

When Snyder isn’t working, he can be found working on his boat.

Snyder is concerned with the way society is veering against law enforcement because it makes it harder on officers who have to work in the jails. In a facility with more than 300 people who don’t want to be there, Snyder believes it doesn’t matter what you did outside the walls, inside people should still be treated with respect and understanding, “Just because someone is locked up, doesn’t mean that their problems stop in the outside world. And the most frustrating part is not being out to deal with the problems, which causes stress for both the inmate and the officers.”

Snyder believes corrections can be a fulfilling career, if you let it be. He would like to eventually end up working the road, but for now, “I’m comfortable where I am. I am still growing here.”