Jack Eugene Sandlin (November 7, 1950 – September 20, 2023) was an American politician who was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year term ...

, representing Senate District 36 from 2016 until his death. He previously served as a policeman, a Trustee in Perry Township, Indiana, and a member of the

Indianapolis City-County Council The City-County Council of Indianapolis and Marion County is the legislative body of the combined government of the city of Indianapolis and the county of Marion in the state of Indiana. The council was established as part of the consolidation o ...

Career

Sandlin was born on November 7, 1950, and attended the

University of Indianapolis The University of Indianapolis (UIndy) is a private United Methodist Church-affiliated university in Indianapolis, Indiana. It offers Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees. It was founded in 1902 as Indiana Central University and ...

, and

Indiana Wesleyan University Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a private evangelical Christian university headquartered in Marion, Indiana, and affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. It is the largest private university in Indiana. The university system includes IWU—Mari ...

. He was a police officer and served with the

Indianapolis Police Department The Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) (September 1, 1854 – December 31, 2006) was the principal law enforcement agency of Indianapolis, Indiana, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Indianapolis and Director of Public Safety. Prior to ...

Southport, Indiana Southport is an excluded city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2010 census. History The area that is now known as Southport was a wooded area until the first European American settlers arrived in the ...

Police Department, and

Johnson County, Indiana Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 161,765. The county seat is Franklin. Johnson County is included in the Indianapolis- Carmel- Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Trans ...

Sheriff's Department.Many Indiana counties face jail crowding with inmate shift
Associated Press (October 6, 2018). From 2010 to 2016, he was a member of the

for the 24th district. He also served as a Perry Township, Indiana Trustee from November 1997 to December 2006. In 2017, he apologized for an offensive Facebook post on his account on the

2017 Women's March The Women's March was a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president. It was prompted by Trump's policy positions and rhetoric, which protesters called misogynistic or otherwise threate ...

; he deleted the post, and said he did not post the message.2 Indiana lawmakers under fire for posts after women's march
''Indianapolis Star'' (January 23, 2017). In 2018, Sandlin sponsored a measure (which passed the state Senate) to allow churchgoers to carry guns while at worship services held on school property. He has called for consideration of the idea of regional jails in Indiana, rather than having a separate county jail in all of Indiana's 92 counties. In 2019, Sandlin introduced legislation to fund a new

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays it ...

soccer stadium. Sandlin's legislation would have allowed the Capital Improvement Board (which oversees

Gainbridge Fieldhouse Gainbridge Fieldhouse is an indoor arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena. The arena is the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and ...

, Lucas Oil Stadium,

Victory Field Victory Field is a minor league ballpark in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is home to the Indianapolis Indians of the International League. History Victory Field opened on July 11, 1996, with the Indians falling to the Oklahom ...

, and the

Indiana Convention Center The Indiana Convention Center is a major convention center located in Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The original structure was completed in 1972 and has undergone five expansions. In total, there are 71 meeting rooms, 11 exhibit halls, and th ...

) to collect taxes from a proposed

Eleven Park Eleven Park is a proposed soccer-specific stadium to be constructed on the site of the former Diamond Chain Company facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It would be the home of Indy Eleven, a professional soccer team that plays in ...

mixed-use development to fund a $150 million

soccer-specific stadium Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi- ...

with a capacity of 20,000. A version of the legislation passed the

Indiana General Assembly The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate. Th ...

, but without language requiring that the stadium be home to a Major League Soccer team. In 2020, Sandlin criticized the Marion County prosecutor on their decision to stop prosecuting marijuana possession cases in the county, and supported legislation that would allow the Indiana Attorney General to override county prosecutors' authority and

discretion Discretion has the meaning of acting on one's own authority and judgment. In law, discretion as to legal rulings, such as whether evidence is excluded at a trial, may be exercised by a judge. Some view discretion negatively, while some view it ...

Death

Sandlin died on September 20, 2023, at the age of 72.

References

External links

Jack Sandlin at BallotpediaVote Smart – Senator Jack Sandlin (IN)
profile

profile
State Senate Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandlin, Jack Year of birth missing 1950s births 2023 deaths 21st-century American legislators Indianapolis City-County Council members Republican Party Indiana state senators 21st-century Indiana politicians