INDIANAPOLIS – First Sergeant Todd Harless has announced his retirement from the Indiana State Police, marking the end of a 34-year law enforcement career.
First Sergeant Todd Harless, a native of Mansfield, Ohio, is a 1984 graduate of Lucas High School located in Lucas, Ohio. Harless received an ROTC Scholarship to Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College located in Lexington, Missouri, in 1984, and graduated as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1986. From there, he traveled to Defiance, Ohio, where he enrolled and graduated from Defiance College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications Arts.
Harless began his law enforcement career in 1991 after being accepted into the 49th Indiana State Police Recruit Academy in July of that year. On November 24, 1991, he graduated with forty-five other cadets and was appointed as a Trooper and assigned to the Indiana State Police Post in Lowell. There he served the citizens of Porter and LaPorte Counties for four years.
During Harless’s tour of duty at the Lowell Post, he became a member of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) and a Field Training Officer (FTO). He was also a staff member for two Lions Law Camps at Taylor University. He also volunteered and was accepted as a counselor for the 51st and 52nd Recruit Academy Classes.
Harless transferred to the Putnamville District in 1994. While retaining his ERT and FTO credentials, he added the following specialties to his resume: Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC) Instructor, High Performance Vehicle (HPV – Camaro Patrol) Trooper, District Fleet Safety Officer, Child Restraint Safety Technician/Instructor, Honor Guard Member, Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) Trooper, and Mechanics of Arrest Instructor.
After the September 11th attacks happened in 2001, Harless, who was a Major in the Indiana National Guard at the time, deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina (SFOR 11) in January 2002 on a scheduled deployment. He took a leave of absence from the State Police and continued active military duty for the next eleven years, deploying to Bosnia-Herzegovina (SFOR 15 / Enduring Mission) again in 2004, to Iraq in 2006, and to Afghanistan in 2012.
Harless returned to the State Police in the spring of 2013 and worked as a Trooper out of the Indianapolis District. In July 2013, he was promoted to Sergeant and assumed the role of Protocol Officer at General Headquarters. The Protocol Officer position was a first of its kind for the Indiana State Police, and Harless initiated numerous innovative procedures during his tenure. Some of the duties he is most proud of were his assistance in the development and standardization of the Line of Duty Death Funeral Manual, Memorial Service protocol, the Survivor Outreach Program, revamping the Department Awards Program, updating Recruit Graduation procedures, and establishing the Honor Guard, a Specialty Team within Special Operations Command. Â
Harless is proud to have served his Nation and State in both military and State Police capacities and is especially grateful for the memories of serving as an Indiana State Trooper for thirty-four years. To finalize his service, he was recognized as a Distinguished Hoosier by Governor Mike Braun on October 29, 2025.
First Sergeant Todd Harless has been married to Jenny Harless for thirty-two years, and they have three grown children: Chloe Robison (married to Andrew of Greenwood, IN), Emma Johnson (married to Carter of Mooresville, IN), and Ethan Harless (of Mooresville, IN).
