St. Joseph County Prosecutor Kenneth P. Cotter is the new chairman of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council. Photo Courtesy of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council.

Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw and deputy prosecutors from the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office recently attended the annual three-day summer conference for county prosecutors and their deputies sponsored by the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council.

The IPAC 2018 Summer Conference in French Lick featured a presentation by Dr. Anna Lembke of Stanford University who discussed her personal experience in treating people dealing with addictions to prescription drugs. She said there is a direct correlation between the massive increase in prescriptions for opioids to the spike in opioid related deaths.

During the conference, St. Joseph County Prosecutor Kenneth P. Cotter was elected chairman of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council Board of Directors. Vice chair of the board is now Lisa L. Swaim, Cass County Prosecutor, and secretary/treasurer is Anthony Quinn, Dubois County Prosecutor. Washington County Prosecutor Dustin Houchin is the outgoing IPAC Board Chairman.

Upon his election, Prosecuting Attorney Kenneth P. Cotter said, "I am honored to serve in this capacity. I look forward to working with the Council, and I believe our work will help citizens in my jurisdiction of St. Joseph County as well as citizens across the state of Indiana."

Cotter took over as the St. Joseph County Prosecutor in 2015 after serving nearly 20 years as a deputy prosecuting attorney, 12 of them as a Chief Deputy. He was formerly IPAC Vice Chairman and a member of the Board of Directors.

Cotter’s philosophy for prosecution is straight-forward but heartfelt: we need to keep violent criminals off our streets, rehabilitate those who can contribute to our community, and make sure that victims of crimes are always respected.

Elected for a two-year term to the board of directors was Delaware County Prosecutor Jeffrey L. Arnold, St. Joseph County Prosecutor Kenneth Cotter, Monroe County Prosecutor Christopher Gaal, Wabash County Prosecutor William Hartley, Jr. and Dubois County Prosecutor Anthony Quinn.

Prosecutors elected to a one-year term on the board of directors were Bruce Aukerman (Vermillion County), Terry Curry (Marion County), Dustin Houchin (Washington County), Daniel Murrie (Daviess County) and Lisa Swaim (Cass County).

About the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council: The IPAC is a non-partisan, independent state judicial branch that supports Indiana's 91 prosecuting attorneys and their chief deputies. It is governed by a 10-member board of directors of elected prosecuting attorneys. The IPAC assists prosecuting attorneys in the preparation of manuals, legal research and training seminars. It serves as a liaison to local, state, and federal agencies, study commissions, and community groups in an effort to support law enforcement and promote the fair administration of justice.