About Mike Culp
Born and raised just south of New Paris, Indiana, Captain Mike Culp is a lifelong resident of Elkhart County and has dedicated himself to serving our community through the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office. He seeks the office of elected Sheriff in the 2026 election as a Republican Candidate.
A graduate of Fairfield Jr. Sr. High School, Mike earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Ball State University. Hired by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office as a Patrol Officer in March of 2004 by Sheriff Mike Books, he worked his way through the patrol division ranks and was promoted to Patrol Corporal in 2007 and Patrol Sergeant in 2009. After earning his stripes, this required Mike to perform regular patrol duties while supervising shifts of patrol officers, county-wide. During this time he also served as an operator on the Emergency Services Unit (Now a component of Elkhart County Regional SWAT) as a precision marksman, perimeter element leader, and later as the overall tactical team commander.
As a Patrol Officer, Corporal, Sergeant, and Captain, Mike has gained the experience on the road required to understand what our men and women in uniform need to do their jobs and protect the public.
In 2011, Mike was promoted to Patrol Captain by Sheriff Brad Rogers. As Patrol Captain, Mike Culp oversaw the entire Patrol Division, the first point of police contact for the majority of Elkhart County’s 200,000+ residents. In 2019 he transferred to Administrative Services Captain at the request of current Sheriff Jeff Siegel to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Administrative Services Division and to serve as the agency’s Public Information Officer (PIO).
The Administrative Services Division is responsible for mission-critical functions within the agency. Storage and dissemination of agency records, service to the public for agency records, processing handgun permits, criminal histories, and tax warrants are just some of the day-to-day tasks. The division serves court process for all Elkhart County Courts and services from other jurisdictions. It also oversees Human Resources, including processing agency applicants, new employee onboarding, current employee promotion, and career development. It implements agency-wide training for all officers and staff. It is also responsible for court security at the Goshen Courthouse, Elkhart Courthouse, and the court facilities inside the Elkhart County Jail. In addition, Captain Culp served as the agency lead in the recent selection of new officer sidearms and patrol rifles.
As the Division Commander in charge of Administrative Services, Mike Culp has gained knowledge of the ‘nitty gritty’ internal workings of one of the largest Sheriff’s offices in the state.
Captain Mike Culp has served as the Coordinator for the Elkhart County Traffic Safety Partnership (TSP) for 11 years, managing the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) Comprehensive Highway Injury Reduction Program (CHIRP) grant. The Elkhart County TSP is composed of six Elkhart County law enforcement agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office, and works to reduce serious and fatal crashes, increase the use of seatbelts and child seats, combat impaired and dangerous driving, and school bus stop arm violation enforcement.
In total, Captain Mike Culp has over 14 years of division command-level experience at the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office, making him directly qualified to serve as your next Elkhart County Sheriff.
A lifelong Republican, Mike is dedicated to upholding conservative, constitutional values and ensuring that the Sheriff’s Office serves and protects the rights of all individuals. Treating others with honor and respect is critical to the mission of the Sheriff.
Mike has been married to his wife Angela for 24 years. They have three children. Phillip, who is an active duty Corporal in the United States Army, Makayla, US Army ROTC at Ball State University School of Nursing, and Madelyn, a Senior in High School, accepted into the US Army ROTC and will be attending Ball State University post-graduation. They are members of Nappanee Missionary Church.
ENDORSED BY YOUR SHERIFF
“I encourage you to join me in voting Mike Culp for Sheriff in the 2026 Republican Primary Election.”
– Sheriff Jeff A. Siegel
