The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office has announced the hiring of two new merit deputies.   

Deputy Margarita M. Velazquez, 46, was born in Mexico City, Mexico. She is a 1995 graduate of Gage Park High School, located in Chicago, Illinois. Velazquez is married, has three children, and resides in Schererville, Indiana.    

Deputy Jared P. Buford, 23, was born in Mishawaka. He is a 2017 graduate of New Prairie High School.Buford is engaged and resides in La Porte.  

Velazquez and Buford are enrolled in an upcoming Indiana Law Enforcement Academy approved South Bend Police Department Regional Academy that begins later this month.