Indiana Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Linda Lawson makes a stop in Madison

Lawson stopped in Madison to meet with locals and to speak on their campaign platform.

Lawson with Madison Residents

*Masks were only taken down for the photo*

(Madison, Ind.) – On Monday, August 10 Indiana Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Linda Lawson stopped in Madison as part of her and running mate Woody Myers campaign trail.

Lawson spent 20 years serving her northwest Indiana House district, where she was chosen as a minority leader in 2012. Lawson stopped in Madison to meet with locals and to speak on their campaign platform.

Being the first female officer in the Hammond Police Department, where she worked for 24 years, Lawson stated she had seen things that were “questionable,” making Criminal Justice Reform one of her biggest concerns.

“I care about every community, and I’ve always felt that community policing was the very best way to reach a community,” said Lawson. “If you are driving in your designated area it is harder to make an arrest if you know the people in the area.”

Rising to the rank of captain after a long career as a patrol officer Lawson knows a lot about being a police officer who gets out and gets to know their community.

“When there are four kids fighting in the street, instead of making an arrest or dragging the kids off to jail because you know their families, drive the kid home or bring their parents to the area. There are lots of ways to handle problems without going to the extreme,” said Lawson.

Through their Criminal Justice Reform, Lawson also spoke on the rising issue of Opioid addiction issues that is very prominent here in Jefferson County. Lawson stated that one of the issues in our state is that Indiana has never made its priorities for the people.

“There are not enough alcohol and drug recovery places in the state of Indiana, people should not have to refinance their homes to get their children through treatment, that is absolutely criminal,” said Lawson.

Lawson went on to say that there needs to be more facilities that give people access to the help they need, “we’ve absolutely dropped the ball when it comes to treatment centers.”

Another topic that Lawson is passionate about is Education, along with her role of being a police officer Lawson was a member of the Hammond School Board for 12 years.

Lawson stated being on the school board was “an eye-opening experience,” as at the time, she did not realize how many kids were given meals year-round by the school system.

“I didn’t realize we fed thousands of kids a day free or reduced lunch, but we fed them breakfast and lunch. With many kids being sent home with food for the evening and the lunches that we packed in the summertime,” said Lawson.

Helping those families in need is an issue in which she and her running mate hope to make an impact. 

Through all the topics that were discussed, Lawson kept repeating that people in the state of Indiana are the ones that need to come first, and communities above all need to be taken care of.

If you would like to read more on Woody Myers and Linda Lawsons campaign, you can find more information here.