Frank J. Anderson

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Frank J. Anderson (born circa 1938) is currently Sheriff of Marion County, Indiana, and is the first black individual to serve in that post. He is the second black Sheriff in Indiana after Oatess E. Archey.

Frank Anderson grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. While a student at Shortridge High School, he was a member of the wrestling team, and was inducted into the IHSWCA Hall of Fame in 1990. Following graduation from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy Shore Patrol, serving from 1956 to 1959.^[1]

From 1961 to 1965, he served as a Patrol Deputy in the Marion County Sheriff's Department. From 1965 to 1977, he served in the United States Marshals Service, serving first as a Deputy Marshal, and later as an inspector and security specialist.

During his tenure with the U.S. Marshals, he helped create and later directed the Federal Witness Protection Program. In 1977, he was appointed as U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Indiana, becoming the top federal law enforcement official for over half the state, serving in that post until 1981.

Following a brief stint in the private sector, he was appointed as a District Director for the United States Federal Protective Service, where he was in charge of providing security in federal facilities in Indiana, Minnesota, and parts of Illinois and Wisconsin from 1983 to 1994. He was reappointed as U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Indiana, serving from 1994 to 2001. In that capacity, he oversaw the federal government seizure of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple, winning praise for his peaceful handling of the standoff.

He was elected as the County's first black Sheriff in 2002^[2], and subsequently reelected in 2006. Following his reelection as Sheriff, his duties were expanded to include oversight of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in accordance with legislation signed by Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson. Following Peterson's defeat for reelection in November, 2007, the new mayor, Greg Ballard has said that he will fulfill a campaign promise to remove the Sheriff as statutory head of the Police Department and put it under the Mayor's authority within the Department of Public Safety.