From left, The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Executive Officer Lt. Col. Jason Lee, DNR Law Enforcement Director Col. Steve Hunter, Gov. Mike Braun, DNR Director Alan Morrison, Department of Correction Commissioner Lloyd Arnold, and Department of Administration Commissioner Brandon Clifton break ground on the new DNR facility on Thursday in Nineveh.
Elissa Maudlin | Daily Journal
By Elissa Maudlin | Daily Journal
emaudlin@dailyjournal.net
For The Republic
JOHNSON COUNTY — In below-freezing temperatures, officials took a needed leap into the future as they broke ground on a new Indiana Department of Natural Resources facility in southern Johnson County.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials, joined by Gov. Mike Braun and officials from the Indiana Department of Administration and Indiana Department of Correction, broke ground on DNR’s new Law Enforcement District 6 headquarters at 6248 S. Schoolhouse Road in Nineveh on Thursday. The facility will become the new home for Indiana Conservation Officers who work across Bartholomew, Brown, Johnson, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Monroe, Morgan and Shelby counties.
The project has been in the works for four years, though it was expedited when Gov. Mike Braun heard about the project and how long it was taking.
“When I heard that, I said, ‘Let’s speed it up, get it across the finish line,’ and Alan Morrison, the director of natural resources here in our state, he heard it, and here we are,” Braun said.
DNR Director Alan Morrison is glad the project is now getting done, he said.
“The facilities that you’re in right now [were] subpar to say the least and we’re going to build something that will be in line with what you deserve,” Morrison told the crowd gathered at the groundbreaking.
Indiana DNR Law Enforcement is the oldest statewide law enforcement agency, with more than 200 conservation officers who promote outdoor safety and uphold conservation laws across the state. Officers are specially trained, including in scuba diving, sonar search, K-9 units, airboat operators and swift water rescue, according to the department.
The new District 6 headquarters will be a significant change from the trailers that have served as the department’s headquarters since 2016, about 2.5 miles southwest on Durbin Street near Camp Atterbury’s main gate. DNR owns the Schoolhouse Road property, unlike the land by Camp Atterbury’s main gate, which is owned by the U.S. government and will revert back to their ownership with DNR leaves.
The Schoolhouse Road property is currently the location of DNR’s quartermaster, allowing the agency to bring all the facilities and personnel together. Nineveh is centrally located for District 6 and DNR officials can get to the different parts of the district fairly easily, Morrison said.
The new building, which was designed by the Indiana Department of Administration, will cost $800,000. Work crews from the Indiana Department of Correction will build it, state officials said.
“This is a great partnership … We’re going to use the labor right across the road with the population,” said Lloyd Arnold, IDOC commissioner, “but with that, it really gives these guys great opportunities and the skills they need when they get out. So we’re saving Hoosiers dollars, we’re giving people skills they need.”
Brandon Clifton, Indiana Department of Administration commissioner, said a partnership between different departments will positively affect the project.
“This is about partnership, this is about working together,” Clifton said, “and when we do so, we do better. We’re more efficient, we’re more creative, just our projects are more seamless.”
The new District 6 headquarters will serve 23 field conservation officers and staff. It will have evidence and equipment storage, along with training rooms and new audio-visual and technology resources, state officials say.
“Our training allows us to come alongside local law enforcement across the state to provide key support to Hoosier communities … Equipped with this new headquarters facility, our 23 field conservation officers and staff in District 6 will be better equipped with tools of the trade,” said Col. Steve Hunter, DNR law enforcement director.
The new district headquarters will also help DNR with organization and their daily routines, like planning and meeting better, Morrison told reporters.
Braun says hunting and fishing are his main pastimes, and he is a supporter of the work of the DNR. Braun encouraged DNR to notify him if they have issues because the state’s natural resources and landscape are “amazing,” but there have often been problems funding them properly, he said.
“Thank you for all you do to keep us safe when we’re out there, enjoying the beautiful landscape in Indiana, and do take me to heart,” Braun said. “If there’s stuff that we need to do that’s been on your list of wanting to do, we’ve now got a crew that will listen and try to get it done.”
Out of the DNR’s 10 law enforcement districts, District 6’s facility was the one “most in need of improvement,” Braun later told reporters.
“They’re going to have a facility that fits what they do and will enhance their own jobs. … What this offers to the public, in general, [is] to be able to have conservation officers that are taking care of the resource our great, wild Indiana offers so much,” Braun said.
The new headquarters is expected to finish construction by the end of 2026, weather permitting, Morrison said.
