Police officer and firefighter welcomed to the Town of Chesterton

At the Chesterton Town Council’s meeting Clerk-Treasurer Courtney Udvare administered the oath of office to new CPD Officer Mallory Leathers and new CFD Firefighter Sean Hendren.

Leathers and Hendren are both lateral hires to fill one vacancy each in the CPD and CFD, created by resignation or retirement.

Police Chief Tim Richardson was delighted to introduce Leathers to the Town Council. “Assistant Chief Rodriguez and I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming a new officer to the department,” he said. “Mallory Leathers is a former deputy from the Porter County Sheriff’s Department, where she’s served since 2023. Mallory holds an Associate’s Degree in criminal justice from Ivy Tech, where she was also on the Dean’s List. Mallory’s always desired to be a police officer and I’m told she always desired to work for the Chesterton Police Department.”

“I call her a ‘townie,’ Richardson added. “She’s lifelong here. Went to school here. Her life thus far is centered on law enforcement, criminal justice, and either coaching or youth development. She previously worked as an assistant coach at Chesterton High School and also at the Duneland Boys and Girls Clubs. So you can see her commitment to Chesterton has has always been there. And outside of law enforcement, she enjoys working out and spending time with her new husband and their dog.”

Fire Chief Sean O’Donnell was then pleased to introduce Hendron. “Shawn comes to us with 13 years of experience with the City of Gary and he’s the third Gary firefighter who’s come to the Chesterton Fire Department,” he said. “On behalf of Deputy Chief Gilbert and Deputy Chief Smith, we welcome him.”

“Shawn brings with him a lot of certifications, in diving, in rope rescue, in a lot of technical things, and a well-rounded experience from working in the south suburbs of Chicago,” O’Donnell added. “Shawn and his wife, Amy, have two kids, Dom and Cam. He likes to runs marathons and just did a marathon a couple weeks ago, so he’s always training.”

“This might be a first where we swore in a firefighter and police officer in a joint program,” O’Donnell noted. “But I think it speaks volumes of how well we work together as two departments. And we’re excited for our brothers and sisters in the Fire Department, just as we are for our brothers and sisters in the Police Department.”

Below: Chesterton Clerk-Treasurer Courtney Udvare (foreground) administers the oath of office to new CFD Firefighter Shawn Hendron (left) and CPD Officer Mallory Leathers (right) at the Town Council’s meeting Monday night, June 22