The Superintendent of the Indiana State Police, Douglas G. Carter has announced the promotion of Master Trooper Gerald Michalak to the rank of Sergeant (Sgt.). Sergeant Michalak has been transferred to the Laboratory Division where he will serve as a Crime Scene Investigator and will cover Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, Jasper, Pulaski and Starke Counties.
Sgt. Michalak is a seventeen year veteran of the department.
Michalak, 38 is an East Chicago native and graduated from Bishop Noll High School. He graduated from Indiana University Northwest in 1998 with a Bachelor degree in Criminal Justice and in 2009 with a Master’s Degree in Public Safety Administration from Calumet College of Saint Joseph.
Michalak was accepted into the Indiana State Police Recruit Academy and in August 1997 he was appointed as a Trooper and assigned to the Lowell Post where he worked Lake County. He was then assigned as a detective in the Gaming Division for one year. Michalak then returned to patrol Lake County when he was later reassigned to assist in the Marijuana Eradication Program. In 2007 Michalak was assigned to the Area 1 Criminal Investigation Division as a task force investigator until his promotion to Sergeant.
During his career, Michalak has served as a Field Training Officer, was on the Tactical Intervention Platoon, and served on the Emergency Response Team (ERT) for two years.
Michalak has taught Introduction into Forensics at Purdue University Calumet since 2010.
Sergeant Michalak resides in Porter County with his family.