Mayor Brainard appoints Deputy Chief Jeff Horner to Chief
Carmel Police Chief Jim Barlow has announced he will retire after a 38-year career with the Carmel Police Department (CPD), the last five years as Chief of Police. Barlow’s last day will be Jan. 7, 2022. Mayor Jim Brainard has appointed Deputy Chief Jeff Horner to replace Barlow as Chief.
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Barlow has been Chief since June 1, 2017. During his time with the Department, he served as one of the department’s firearms instructors for more than 30 years and he spent 20 years as part of the SWAT team, six of those years as SWAT Commander.
“Chief Barlow has played an integral role in making our Police Department one of the best in the country and one that continues to earn professional accreditation,” Mayor Brainard said. “He has gone above and beyond in his dedication to serving the residents, visitors and business owners in Carmel and he will be missed. We wish him well in his well-deserved retirement.”
Barlow is a graduate of Indiana University and the FBI National Academy. He has worked as an investigator in both the Criminal Investigations Unit and Special Investigations Unit and served as the Director of the Hamilton County Drug Task Force as well as the Commander of the Operations Division and Support Division. In January 2011, he was promoted to Assistant Chief of Police.
Deputy Chief Jeff Horner has 28 years of experience in law enforcement with CPD. He received his bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He began his career with the Carmel Police Department in January 1994 and spent the first 13 years on the department in the Operations Division, where he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He then spent several years supervising the School Resource Unit, acting as the department’s Public Information Officer and managing special events. In January 2017 he was appointed to Major of the Operations Division and then to Deputy Chief of Administration in 2018. Horner served as one of the department’s defensive tactics instructors for 25 years and 17 years on the swat team, six of those years as the SWAT Commander.
Chief Barlow, who is originally from St Joseph, Mich., moved to Indiana when he was six. He graduated from Michigan City Rogers High School before going to IU and earning a degree in Public Affairs and Criminal Justice. He was hired by CPD a few months after graduation.
Barlow and his wife have two sons and a daughter and four grandchildren, all of whom live in Hamilton County. He plans to remain in Carmel and spend time with his grandchildren, golfing, bike riding, hunting, and taking time to travel.