Gary Mayor-Elect Eddie Melton Names New Police, Fire Chief

December 16, 2023

GARY — Mayor-elect Eddie Melton has named new leadership for the city's police and fire departments, replacing chiefs who served in their respective roles for less than six months. The city's new police chief will be Derrick Cannon Sr., a 24-year veteran of the Gary Police Department. Cannon will replace Anthony Titus who was named police chief at the end of June.

Larry Tillman II will be the city's next fire chief. Tillman is an 18-year-veteran of the department and is currently president of the Gary Firefighters Association Local 359. Tillman will replace Mark Terry, who took over as fire chief at the beginning of August.

Cannon once served as deputy police chief and is the department's current captain of the Uniform Services Bureau. Cannon is also a federal law enforcement task force officer and earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Indiana University Northwest. His predecessor, Titus, became chief after a nine-month nationwide search and a 1½-year partnership with the Indiana State Police. During Titus' summer appointment ceremony, current Gary Mayor Jerome Prince said he and Deputy Mayor Trent McCain realized that the city needed to address weaknesses within the structure of the department before appointing a new chief. They called Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter and in April 2021 announced that the agencies would be partnering.

‍

‍

NWI Times : https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/gary-mayor-elect-eddie-melton-names-new-police-fire-chief/article_eeb589c2-9acf-11ee-befe-6b620f0fe999.html

October 6, 2026
City of Gary Remembers 3rd District Councilwoman Mary Brown
October 2, 2026
City of Gary Receives More Than $6.2 Million FEMA Grant to Strengthen Fire Department Staffing and Public Safety
October 1, 2026
Traffic Alert: Upcoming Road Closures and Traffic Changes in Downtown Gary
September 30, 2026
City of Gary Celebrates Groundbreaking for Phase 1 of the Veterans Housing Project in Veterans Village
September 16, 2026
Mayor Melton Signs Data Center Moratorium Amid Rapid AI Advancement Concerns
More Articles >>