Carmel swears in new police chief
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — The Carmel city government on Tuesday night got a new chief of police.
Drake Sterling was sworn in at a ceremony at The Tarkington at the Center for the Performing Arts.
Sterling previously served with the neighboring Zionsville Police Department before taking Carmel’s top job.
He worked on a special weapons and tactics team for more than 10 years, along with support services and investigations.
After the ceremony, he told News 8 that he was excited to get to work, and ready to meet his officers and community members. “I’m ready to learn. I’m ready to acclimate to the environment, to the police, to the department, and get to know the officers we work with on a daily basis; most of all, get to know the community. We’re ready to be a good partner in the community, as we have for many years. We hope to maintain and advance those relationships.”
Sterling is an Indiana State University graduate. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy. He began work in Carmel on Feb. 29. He lives in Boone County with his wife, Sarah, and two children. They plan to move to Carmel.
He takes over for Jim Barlow, who retired from Carmel Police Department.
The Hamilton County city on Indianapolis’ northern border had about 102,000 residents by 2022 estimates. Stats Indiana lists Carmel as being Indiana’s sixth largest city or town by population.
This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV.