Meet the Officers

Chief Terance Smith is a twenty-one-year law enforcement veteran and recent retiree as the Assistant Division Commander of Training for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.  He was responsible for the continuing law enforcement education of more than 400 incumbent deputies as well as new academy probationary recruits.  Due to this responsibility, he consistently attended training throughout the state in order to bring the most up to date and relevant training to the deputies of Marion County.  He worked in multiple sections within the sheriff’s office including Tactical Operations, Motorcycles, Honor guard, Training Academy, and Community Outreach.

Chief Smith teaches regularly at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy specializing in Cultural Competency.  It is his vision that officers across the state achieve cultural competence rather than simply being aware of cultural nuances.  Over the span of his career, he has received multiple awards and citations.  However, in 2014 he was named “Sheriff’s Deputy of the year” and was recently awarded, “School Resource Officer of the Year” in the Mid-West region by the National Association of School Resource Officers.

Chief Smith holds various state instructor certifications through the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board to include, Firearms, and Defensive tactics.  In addition, Chief Smith holds various fitness certifications and is a 1st Degree Black belt in Traditional Tae Kwon Do, Olympic Style Tae Kwon Do, and Premier Style mixed martial arts. He is a 2001 graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Leadership Academy, and FBI SWAT school.  He is an Alumni of Indiana State University and Martin University, and holds a bachelor's of science degree in criminal justice.  Chief Smith is a firm believer in the National School Resource Officers triad model of “educator, informal counselor, and law enforcement officer.”  He hopes to encourage Decatur officers to view their valuable work through the lens of this model each day.

            Officer Paula Petty has worked with the Decatur Township School Police Department since 2016.  Prior to coming to Decatur, Officer Petty worked at the Marion County Jail for 5 years and then served the community of Greenwood for 15 years as a road patrol officer for The Greenwood Police Department.

     Officer Petty graduated from Hamilton Heights High School in 1987 and went on to Ball State University where she studied criminal justice and social work. She is  graduate of The Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Officer Petty loves basketball, and had the honor of playing in the 2001 World Police and Fire Games, where her team was awarded the silver medal.  She has also coached basketball and track for many years.

            She has worked as an advocate for the homeless, and is a strong supporter of animal rescue.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, participating in sports, outdoor activities, camping, farm-time, and taking care of animals.  Officer Petty loves the students she serves and strives to help them positively navigate through their student years and beyond.

Officer Kodjo Koffi Ametooyona

            Officer Jejuan Westmoreland currently serves as a school resouce officer for Decatur Township Schools and is assigned to the Blue/Gold Academy and support for Decatur Central High School.  Before being named and sworn in as one of Decatur's newest officer's in October, Officer Westmoreland served as a school resource officer with Indianpolis Public Schools Police Department where he was responsible for the safety and security of Shortridge High School and IPS School 60. While serving at Shortridge, Officer Westmoreland implemented new ideas for traffic control as well as plans to provide additional safety measures for the school. He worked for 5 years in the Indianapolis Public School system working in multiple schools with K-12 students and also served on several safety committees as part of his duties.  Officer Westmoreland loves working with and helping young people. He believes it is his calling and finds fulfilment in nurturing student potential. He enjoys seeing young people grow and do great things.

            Prior to joining The Indianapolis Public Schools Police Department, Officer Westmoreland worked for the Marion County Sheriff's Office. He served for more than 3 years working in several different areas and was selected by the jail commanders to participate in the "Youthful Offender Program," where he was able to work closely with juveniles that wanted to change their lives for the better.  He has participated in several training programs and is a graduate of the Marion County Sheriff's Office Basic Training Academy, Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), and is also certified as Crisis Intervention Team member and National Association of School Resource Officers current member. 

Officer Tabetha Emenaker has been a law enforcement Officer for 24 years. Thirteen of those years
have been in a roll as a School Police Officer working with youths grades K-12. Officer Emenaker enjoys
working in a well-diversified environment. She has lived both in the United States of America and in
another country, which has given her the opportunity to live and learn of different cultures.
Officer Emenaker is an Indiana Law Enforcement training academy graduate and looks for many
opportunities to enhance her skills through training and daily experiences in the school-based policing
environment. She is a mother of 2 children and feels that being an SRO gives her the benefit of not only
being a police officer, but a co-parenting mentoring roll for the districts school children as well.
Officer Emenaker believes being an SRO is a tremendous blessing because she gets to help students
pave a way to wise decision, help them to see their potential, instill trust between students and police
officers and be there for the parents in their times of need.