Sheriff Dave Wedding has appointed Reverend Stephen Brown to serve on the Sheriff’s Office Merit Board. Rev. Brown is a 1964 graduate of North High School, a United States Marine Corps veteran and worked for Alcoa for 40 years. Rev. Brown is a pastor at Friendship Southern Baptist Church and has served as a volunteer jail chaplain at the Vanderburgh County Jail since 1976. A lifelong resident, Rev. Brown and his wife Lille I. Moore-Brown raised three children in Evansville.
Sheriff Dave Wedding stated, “I first met Reverend Brown 40 years ago when he was ministering to inmates at the Vanderburgh County Jail. Since that time I have seen the positive influence Rev. Brown has had on those inmates wise enough to listen to his message. You don’t serve as a jail minister for over 40 years, with no pay, unless you have a true calling and a passion for the work.” Sheriff Wedding added, “I am honored to have Rev. Brown as a member of our Merit Board. His life experience and strong moral character will undoubtedly serve the merit board well.”
About the Sheriff’s Merit Board
The Sheriff’s Merit Board is defined by state law and is designed to prevent the hiring or removal of a sheriff’s deputy without proper cause. The Sheriff’s Merit Board consists of five members, three members appointed by the sheriff and two members elected by a majority vote of the sheriff’s deputies. The Sheriff’s Merit Board has jurisdiction over hiring, firing, demotion and serious disciplinary action involving sheriff’s deputies. The merit board system is designed to hold both sheriffs and sheriff’s deputies accountable through a transparent and fair process.
